This is not Goodbye
by Regulus the Great
Summary: If you want to read an amateur story about an emo Harry, then this is your blockbuster. First ever story so it sucks balls. HG, RHr no romance
1. Echoes from the Past

**Disclaimer: I own none of this!**

**CHAPTER 1 – ECHOES FROM THE PAST**

"...what is right, and what is easy."

Harry Potter's eyes opened and he laid motionless for a handful of minutes. This is how it was these days. He no longer woke up from dreams with a start. They happened so frequently that he actually snapped awake when he didn't have a dream.

Dumbledore's words echoed through his head. Harry now knew what he had meant. It was not easy for him to leave everyone like he did. He had stayed at the Dursley's until his 17th birthday, which he spent in Godric's Hollow. He spent another week there before he set off on his journey.

Ron and Hermione had told him they would come but Harry never told them that he was not going to let them. Hedwig was sent to the Burrow just before he left the Hollow with instructions to drop off his letter and stay there. The letter told them what he was doing and how he would not be going to Bill and Fleur's wedding. He also told them to be careful.

He had been doing this for two weeks now, sleeping in the woods, moving in shadows, hoping to find information about any of the Death Eaters. He thought that if he could find and follow them that one of them might lead him to some clue as to where the last horcrux was. He returned to Grimwauld place to destroy the locket and he had tracked down Hufflepuff's cup. But he stumbled upon rather than found Nagini, who was with a couple Death Eaters a week back. Though he killed the snake, he had not left that battle unscathed. He unconsciously stretched out his right leg, it had not been the same since that encounter.

Not wanting to dwell Harry gathered his things and took off through the woods. He had a meeting to get to and he couldn't be late. Arriving to his destination, he set his bag next to a stump, took a seat and waited. He was somewhere west of London but did not have an exact location although he was sure this was the place he was supposed to be.

A loud crack moments later told him he was right. He stood up and helped the new arrival to his feet. Although it was forced, he gave a quick smile to Mr. Weasley who dusted himself off.

"Thank you Harry," Mr. Weasley said. Harry simply nodded towards him and motioned him to take a seat on a nearby stump.

Mr. Weasley gave him a folder with some papers in it that Harry thumbed through.

"Thank you," Harry said. "I know this isn't easy for you but I'm appreciative that you took this risk. This should be helpful to me." Harry got up walked over to put this folder in his bag, limping slightly as he did so. His leg gave him aches sometimes when he stood up.

"Are you alright Harry? What happened to your leg?"

"I had a run in with a certain possessed snake I believe you're familiar with." Harry replied alluding to Nagini's attack on Mr. Weasley two years ago, who had obviously remembered for his face went pale.

"What happened?" Mr. Weasley said, still slightly unnerved.

"I was battling with a couple of Death Eaters about a week back and he just showed up. I dunno. Maybe he was there keeping an eye on them or something."

"You battled with Death Eaters?"

"Yeah, I surprised them, which gave me some time, but I think they were more afraid of me than I was of them. I think after the escapes from Voldemort they don't really know what to think of me." He continued his sentence through Mr. Weasley's gasp and shudder at the name. "They ended up escaping. Well except for Nagini, he wasn't so lucky."

"Harry, everyone's worried about you. You should come back at least for a little bit. Bill and Fleur's wedding is only a week away and it would be great if you could make it." Mr. Weasley sounded somber as he said this, almost as if he feared that Harry would get angry at him. But Harry had expected this.

"I'm sorry, I can't. The Order has its own things to worry about and I would just put everyone in more danger if I was there." He continued before Mr. Weasley could deny this. "Look, he knows I'm coming for him. We both know it and neither of us fear that meeting. But _I _know that it would save a lot of trouble, not to mention lives, if I did this on my own."

Mr. Weasley looked at Harry for a moment and sighed. "You've grown up a lot Harry." There was a minute of silence before Harry spoke.

"How are everyone Mr. Weasley?"

"They're okay. I mean as good as can be what with everything that has happened."

"And what about Ginny?"

Mr. Weasley smiled but was a little surprised, thinking that Harry must have had a lot of self control to hold that question in for so long. "She's upset but she is strong. Everyone is worried though."

Another moment of silence passed as neither of them knew what to say. Mr. Weasley rose signaling that this meeting was over and went to shake Harry's hand.

"Harry, please think about what I said. Everyone would be happy to see you."

"I will think about it, Mr. Weasley. And again, thanks for your help."

"Anytime Harry. I hope to see you soon, and good luck." And with that Mr. Weasley apparated back to wherever he had come from.

Harry went back over to the stump and looked through the folder once more absent mindedly. He did want to go back and see everyone but he knew that his first decision was right. Still, Bill had sacrificed a lot for the Order, and deserved the respect of Harry's presence.

Harry let out a sigh and, packing up the folder, set off through the woods.

"…what is right, and what is easy."


	2. Sneak Attack

**CHAPTER 2 – SNEAK ATTACK**

Harry sat crouched next to a tree, hidden beneath his father's invisibility cloak. The wind swirled the bottom of the cloak around but he remained concealed. He gripped his wand tight in his hand keeping it close to his body.

He couldn't help thinking about what Mr. Weasley had said to him, about going to Bill and Fleur's wedding. It may be a good thing for him just to see everyone again. These last few weeks have been tough on him. He had learned a lot but he was so alone. He wanted to talk to somebody even if it was about nothing important.

He knew though that if he went back then they would want to come with him. He could not go through that argument again. No matter how many times he explained about the danger they would never realize that this is the safest way.

Harry snapped back to reality as he heard footsteps through the shuffling leaves. He knew who it was and he was ready. A figure in a dark cloak walked through the forest cautiously looking around. This is the person Harry was waiting for, the one that the bartender told him comes through here. This was the first step to Harry's destiny, one that he had waited a long time for. _Bellatrix Lestrange_. The murderer of his godfather and the torturer of Neville's parents.

Harry's heart began to race and he started to fidget with his wand in his sweaty hand. A cold grip had a hold on his stomach but his mind remained calm. He had to be patient and wait for the right moment. If he acted too soon, his surprise tactic would work against him rather than for him. _Just a few more seconds_, he thought to himself. _Wait for it… not yet… give her a couple more steps… NOW!_

Harry jumped out of his cloak and sent a stunning spell towards the dark figure. The beam hit her in the side sending her flying against a tree with a thud and a groan. Harry froze. That groan was male. That was not Bellatrix. His eyes scanned the forest looking for movement. He heard a tree creak and rolled away from where he was standing. A figure fell from above and landed on the forest floor. This was Bellatrix. Her hood had fallen off and he could see her face clearly. She was grinning at him, but it was a grin that did not reach her eyes. She was feeling something else, Harry thought. It couldn't be fear though, could it? He jumped up onto his feet and squared up to her.

"STUPEFY" cried Bellatrix.

_Protego_, Harry shouted in his mind and her curse ricocheted away, exploding a nearby tree.

"So, Potter, using non verbal spells now, huh? Do you think that will help you against the Dark Lord?"

"No, but it will help me against you," Harry replied through clenched teeth. He knew that it was just him this time. If he lost his temper and did something stupid, no one will be there to rescue him.

"I doubt it you silly little boy. I'm going to do you just like I did poor old Sirius." She started to wave her arms and do an imitation of Sirius falling through the veil, all the while cackling into the night.

Harry harnessed his anger and used this moment to strike. _Reducto! Secumseptra! Stupefy!_ She dodged each curse as it flew at her then sent one back at Harry. He sidestepped it and dodged around the tree as the bark exploded off it. This may have hidden his trail because Bellatrix stopped.

"Come out and play little Potter," she spat as she said his name. "Your parents at least had the decency to face their enemy rather than hiding." She was trying to anger him, to goad him into making a mistake. _Well those days are past me_, Harry thought. _But I have to slow her down_. Suddenly he got it, picking up a stick he threw it to his left and paused. When it smacked against the tree he darted to his right. Bellatrix was ready to strike where the stick landed and didn't see Harry until it was too late.

"Effringo!" he shouted. A red beam shot out of his wand and hit Bellatrix in the leg so fast that Harry himself almost didn't see it. He heard a snap and saw her leg fold. He could tell from her screams that she wouldn't be running away now. _Accio Wand_ Harry thought and he grabbed her wand out of midair, slowly walking towards her.

"You won't get away this time Bellatrix," Harry growled, "you are going back to where you belong."

He caught it just a second too late. It was a flicker in her eyes that told him someone was behind him. He whirled around and felt a hand, much stronger than his, close around his forearm, and a wand digging into his neck. He looked up and saw MacNair staring down at him, eyes full of rage.

"I think you are the one that's not getting away this time," MacNair bore into Harry's face with his eyes. "How you surprised us I don't know, but you won't get away with it." Harry was already working on his escape. Even before MacNair started to talk he was inching his wand to the end of his fingers. "The Dark Lord will be very pleased with us when we return you to him."

"Oh," Harry started, looking right into his eye, "I doubt that anybody ever really pleases Voldemort."

MacNair's jaw dropped at the sound of the name, which is exactly the reaction Harry was looking for. He cocked his wrist and brought his fingers in until his wand was pointing directly at his attacker. _Levicorpus_! Harry felt his arm released, but then his leg was clasped. Bellatrix, who lay forgotten behind him, had grabbed him anywhere she could reach. MacNair raised his wand and yelled with fear, "AVADA KE-"

Harry reacted quicker than even he thought possible. Looking back afterwards he wouldn't have known why he did it but things moved too fast for him to think. He shouted out forgetting about non verbal commands.

"SECUMSEPTRA!" he felt blood splash onto his face and he whirled around.

"STUPEFY" Bellatrix screamed and he whirled around.

"IMPEDIMENTA!" there was a dull thud. Something flew passed his head, making the hair on his neck stand and he whirled around, dropping to one knee.

"LIGO!" something shot out of his wand and he spun on his knee.

"LIGO!" more shot out of the wand.

Harry stopped and heard two thuds, which sounded like bodies hitting the dirt. He was breathing heavily, staring at the ground. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears and could even feel it course through his veins. He didn't know how long it was until he finally moved but he did notice that his breathing was under control.

Standing up he looked to his left and saw MacNair lying at the base of a tree. He was bound with material that Harry remembered from Tom Riddle Sr.'s graveyard three years ago. Turning around he saw that Bellatrix was in pretty much the same position, her leg at an unnatural angle from the rest of her. He walked over to her, grabbed the ropes and dragged her over to MacNair's body. They were both unconscious but he kept their wands just in case.

Sitting against one of the adjoining trees, Harry began going over the events in his mind. He had practiced the Secumseptra spell enough that he didn't cut too deep now. Although MacNair would bleed a lot he wouldn't be in trouble of dying.

Harry couldn't believe what had just happened. He had been very lucky again, expecting to only find one person. Why had MacNair been with her? What were they doing out here? Why were they so afraid of him? MacNair was going to kill him and face the wrath of Voldemort rather than trying to escape. How could Harry scare Death Eaters like that?

He sat there for several minutes asking more questions before he finally stood up and gathered his things. He walked over to the Death Eaters and prepared to take them with him. He would drop them off in the village close by; the ropes would hold them until the Ministry of Magic could get there. He would write a note to Mr. Weasley explaining where they were so he could get the credit (it might even get him a promotion).

Harry settled himself to levitate the pair when he heard a snap behind him. He turned very quickly, jerking his right leg in the process. He grimaced at the pain which reminded him of the snake Nagini. He looked up, saw a hook nose, a red flash and then darkness.


	3. This is a Happy Reunion?

**CHAPTER 3 – THIS IS A HAPPY REUNION?**

The Burrow looked amazing. There was a white, waist high fence placed around the back yard with garland hanging on it. There was a white archway over the stage where the ceremony was to take place, with chairs set up in the grass in front of it. On the other side of the yard there were tables, a bar, a buffet, and what looked like a portable dance floor. There was no telling how much of it was done by magic, but it looked like it was too much for just one person to decorate.

Bill and Fleur looked very nice as they were married. It was a wonderful ceremony with what looked like most of the family from each side in attendance. Also present were some of the members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Tonks, Lupin, Moody, and Shacklebolt. Everyone looked happy for the couple and also happy to take their minds off of current events.

Harry had seen all this from under the invisibility cloak, arriving just as the ceremony started. He had woken up several hours after Snape's attack with, for lack of a better diagnosis, a broken face. Apparently Snape's curse had sent him flying into a tree and, from what Harry could piece together, his face hit an exposed root at the base of the tree. He knew that his nose was broken and probably a handful of cheek bones as well. His left eye was almost swollen shut, and he figured there were some cracked, if not broken, ribs. Along with his swollen lip, and many cuts, he figured that this was the best way to not ruin Bill and Fleur's day.

It had taken him three days to get from where he was to the Burrow. He had traveled mostly by Muggle route to avoid detection. He spent most of the time wondering why Snape had left him there after the attack, multiple possibilities playing out in his mind.

Of course Moody had seen him walking up to the fence, his magical eye moving all around. Harry gave a little wave to let him know that it would not be wise to announce his presence. After the ceremony was over Harry was careful to slide inside the house. He sat down at the kitchen table and it wasn't long before Moody and Lupin came bursting in. He took off the cloak seeing the concerned look on their faces.

"Harry what happened?" asked Lupin as he sat down beside him.

Harry recounted most of the story to them, watching their faces go through different emotions. Then Moody walk out of the house back to the party, Harry assumed to get someone who could help him. Lupin sat and asked more questions, mostly the ones Harry had already asked himself. They were in the middle of the session when Mrs. Weasley burst through the door.

"HARRY!" she exclaimed, going quite pale at the sight of him. "Oh my god, what had happened to you? You drop this note off and we don't hear anything from you and then you show up like this, not telling anyone!" She continued with her rant as she ran some water and got some supplies to help heal him. "When did this happen?" she asked, growing more concerned the more she saw the damage.

"Three days or so," Harry answered. He wished it didn't hurt to close his eyes because he knew that he was going to get it then.

"THREE DAYS! YOU'VE BEEN LIKE THIS FOR THREE DAYS HARRY! YOU SHOULD'VE COME STRAIGHT HERE! YOU SHOULD'VE CAME STRAIGHT HERE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY!" Tears started falling down her face and she was so agitated that she could barely hold herself steady enough to work on him.

By now Harry was sure that everyone knew he was here and sure enough, Ron came bursting through the door. When he saw Harry he was so shocked that he stopped, which was a very bad idea as the people behind him did not. Hermione ran into the back of Ron, making him lose his balance. Then Fred and George came and it became a pile on the floor.

"WOULD YOU KIDS BEHAVE YOURSELVES!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

"Bloody hell Harry, what happened to your face?" Ron said as he helped Hermione get to her feet. Ron was smiling, Fred and George were laughing and Hermione was almost in tears at the sight of him.

Harry waited for the rest of them to gather themselves before he started telling them the story. _I hope this is the last time_ he thought. They hung on every word asking questions at different places. Harry had to stop every once and a while as Mrs. Weasley prodded his face. When he had finished everyone was quiet while they digested the story. He had noticed that Lupin was looking disappointed but he didn't know why.

Ron was first to speak. "So you took out two Death Eaters? That's brilliant!"

"Yeah, up until the point when I got blind sided by Snape." Harry replied. "If you guys don't mind, can we talk about this later? I would rather just go out and enjoy the party." His request was met with a bunch of affirmatives and the crowd left the room leaving only him and Mrs. Weasley.

"Dear, we've all been worried sick about you," said Mrs. Weasley with a bit of a sniffle as she finished up. Harry moved his face around feeling much better. He took a mirror and noticed that his eye was still swollen a little. The rest of it looked brand new and he was very pleased.

"Thanks Mrs. Weasley," he said as she nodded solemnly. She wiped her eyes and smiled at him. She started to walk out but stopped as he addressed her.

"Mrs. Weasley how is Ginny?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to think on this before she answered. "She'll survive," she replied as she walked out the door.

Harry was taken aback by this answer as it was not what he expected. Ginny had obviously discussed the situation with her mother and it doesn't look like it was good. He resolved to talk to her about it while he was here, although he didn't know how long he would stay.

He walked outside to a party that was in full swing. People were dancing and laughing. It seemed strange to Harry that people would be having a good time considering what has happened, but it was a nice surprise for him to feel joy again. Ignoring the gasps of surprise from everyone at the party, Harry walked right up to the newlyweds.

"Hey Harry," Bill said, "right state you're in, eh?"

"Nothing your mum couldn't fix," Harry said with a smile, wringing Bill's hand. "Congratulations Bill,… and you too Fleur."

"Zank you 'arry. I'm very glad you could make eet."

"Yeah, I tried to not make a scene but I guess that went right out the window, huh?" Everyone laughed a little uneasy at the joke, but they laughed none the less.

"I heard," Bill said, "that you interrupted a string of adventures to be here today." He picked up his hand and flicked a thumb under Harry's eye. "It's a shame I missed it. To what do we owe the honor?"

"Well the honor is mine, Bill. With what you've done for the Order, what you've sacrificed,… it's the least I could do. I'm happy for the both of you and I wanted to be here to wish you congratulations." Harry smiled as he pushed Bill's hand away from his face.

Bill looked him in the eye before he answered. "Everyone's been worried about you. Warranted, by the looks of it. But its better you're here, I mean, you're as good as family. It wouldn't have been the same without you."

"I appreciate it Bill," Harry said, as he realized that it was just the two of them. He turned his head and notice Fleur had moseyed over towards the dance floor. Harry smiled and turned back to Bill. "I think your wife is waiting for you."

"Anyway, glad you're back Harry," Bill said as walked to meet Fleur.

_Back, I'm not back_ Harry thought. Is that what people thought? That he was back? Back for good?

"Have a nice vacation then, did ya?" said a quiet voice at his side. He did not have to look to know who it was.

"I wasn't on vacation, Ginny. I had stuff I had to do."

"Yeah, so I heard. Glad you could let everyone know." Harry turned to her and looked at her for the first time. She looked beautiful in her bridesmaid dress. He wanted to say something but no words came to him. She left him speechless.

"Well if you're not gonna talk to me why don't you just leave again!" Ginny walked away towards the house. She didn't run, but she was walking quickly. Harry looked around the party and caught Mr. Weasley's eye. He nodded to the house signaling that Harry should go after her. And he did.

He ran past everyone at the party. As he got to the door he thought he heard one of the twins say, "Never a dull moment with that one."

He caught up to Ginny as she was starting up the stairs and grabbed her hand. "Ginny wait, I have to talk to you." She ripped her hand away when she turned. There were tears in her eyes but she wasn't crying.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted, backing slowly away from him up the stairs. "You have no right to touch me." She turned her back and ran.

Harry caught up with her on the landing. "Ginny don't turn away from me."

"Why not Potter," she spit rather than said his name. "You turned your back on us. You told Ron and Hermione they could go with you and you left them." She lowered her voice and turned on him to look him in the eyes. Harry was surprised with the amount of venom in her voice. "At least you talked to them. You walked away from me and never said a word."

"Ginny, I don't know what to say."

"So your communication skills haven't improved since then." She turned and walked away.

"Ginny I couldn't let you come, or them. I was trying to -"

"PROTECT ME!" Ginny shouted. They were at her door now and there was a look of disgust on her face. "You never needed to protect me." She shook her head and went into her room. Harry heard a click meaning that the door was locked.

"Ginny." There was no answer.

"GINNY." Harry's temper was now rising. He wasn't angry at her, he was angry that he couldn't find the words to explain what was in his head. He gave up. He turned around and leaned against the door. His voice was almost a whisper.

"Gin." He slid to the floor and put his elbows on his knees. "I don't know what you want me to say. Obviously nothing. But I can't do that. I can't walk out of here without talking to you."

"Ginny, you say that I turned my back on you but I never did. Not really. I was always thinking of you. Whether you believe me or not you were the reason I was doing this. I couldn't live in a world that I didn't think was safe for you.

"Look, I've never met anyone like you before. The way you make me feel, I can't help but want to be with you. But I couldn't risk losing that. I couldn't risk losing you. Like I said, Voldemort would use you to get to me and I can't have that on my shoulders."

"But I also realized that I don't deserve you. Things are going to happen soon and what if something happens to me. It's not fair, to you I mean, for me to be with you for a short time and have that taken away from you." He grimaced as he realized the ridiculousness of the last statement but continued. "And I realize now as I'm talking that that's exactly what I did to you and I'm sorry. You're right. I've never needed to protect you. I might have been doing it to protect myself but… Ginny I'm sorry." Harry hung his head in his hands. He didn't know how long he was going to have to wait there but it didn't matter. He would wait as long as necessary.

There was another click and the door opened. Harry fell back and his head landed on her shoes. He got up quickly and turned to look at her. There was a long moment of silence before he spoke.

"Ginny, I'm sorry," he repeated, hoping to get some sort of response. She just looked back at him for a while. He didn't know what to expect when she opened her mouth to talk.

"Harry… just go back to the party. Everyone will want to spend time with you. Before you leave again." And with that she walked past him and down the stairs. He looked out the window, finally seeing her emerge from the house. She walked over to Mrs. Weasley, who hugged her, and they exchanged words.

Ginny's face went blank for a handful of seconds before she broke into a huge smile. She walked on through the party talking and laughing with her family.

Harry had no idea what happened. He was so confused at her reaction. He expected her to scream and cry but never thought she would carry on as if nothing happened. He was so confused.

_Maybe it's for the best_ he thought. It might make it easier in the end. He sighed as he stepped away from the window to head out of the house. Dumbledore's voice echoed in his head.

_"… a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature… It was your heart that saved you…"_


	4. Empty Nights

**CHAPTER 4 - EMPTY NIGHTS**

Harry spent most of his day enjoying himself for a change. He laughed and had an overall good day. Fred and George were, of course, the life of the party, playing pranks and telling jokes. Nobody seemed to want to discuss everything that had been happening which was perfectly fine for Harry, who didn't want to talk about it anyway. The night wore on and people started to leave. Bill and Fleur departed for their honeymoon to someplace that Harry really hadn't bothered to ask, and slowly the house quieted as people went to bed.

He couldn't tell if it was late into the night or early in the morning when Harry found himself alone in the kitchen contemplating on what a normal, enjoyable day he just had. He decided to speak to Ron and Hermione tomorrow about what has happened and what he was going to do. As he sat reflecting on the whole situation he became quite aware of another person who had appeared.

Remus Lupin was his father's oldest living friend and Harry had been happy to see him again. He always provided sage advice and a comforting shoulder when it was needed.

"You know," Remus spoke when he was sure Harry noticed him, "James used to sit up all night thinking too. I guess sleep is something that the Potter men feel is not important."

Harry smiled and motioned for Lupin to take a seat next to him. Lupin declined his offer electing, instead, to lean against the post in the middle of the kitchen.  
"Well, sometimes sleep doesn't want to find you as much as you want to find it," Harry replied.

"Yes, and sometimes we fear sleep, especially in difficult times such as these."

"Is that why you're up?" Harry asked. He always felt he could be frank with Lupin without offending him. It was an endearing quality that Harry had missed since Sirius had died.

"No unfortunately, Harry, with my condition it keeps me from developing a normal sleep schedule. I often find myself sleeping at odd hours." Harry nodded understanding that there were probably plenty of things about being a werewolf that he could never fathom.

"Professor, when I was telling you what happened this afternoon you looked disappointed. Why?"

"I'll tell you the first thing I was, was concerned. You've looked better Harry. You've gotten into some tough battles, haven't eaten nearly enough (which I'm sure you've heard plenty of from Molly), and you, obviously, haven't been getting enough sleep. But I was disappointed because apparently, you are not as smart as I thought you were."

Harry was taken aback by the casual way his friend had insulted him. "I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean," Harry replied irritably.

"You also seem to be as arrogant as Snape has suggested all these years."

If Harry was irritated before he was plain shocked now. How could his friend say these things about him? Ron and Hermione may have questioned his decisions before but not with this same kind of audacity.

"Harry, you have to be stupid and arrogant to believe that you can take out the most powerful dark wizard of all time and his followers by yourself. Why didn't you let your friends come with you?"

"I didn't want them to get hurt. I knew that Voldemort would use them to get to me and I couldn't let that happen to them." Harry was almost sick of explaining this to people.

"Of course you feel that way, you wouldn't be a Potter if you thought otherwise. But, Harry, don't you think they are just in danger here? Or at school? They are in danger everywhere, whether they're with you or not. You've done some great things but you yourself said that you had loads of help. Why turn your back on that help now, especially with the things that have happened?"

Harry had assumed he was referring to Dumbledore but there was something else there. "Has something happened recently?" Harry asked.

Lupin seemed to look at him in disbelief. "You didn't hear about Hogwart's?"

"No, I haven't heard much of anything that's happened. I've been hiding out. Its not exactly like Harry Potter can grab a Daily Prophet without drawing attention."

"Harry, Death Eaters broke into Hogwart's!"

He couldn't believe it. Hogwart's had always been Harry's safe haven. Of course he got into danger while he was there, but he never felt like anyone could ever get in to hurt him. "What happened?" Harry asked, desperate to find out the facts.

"Most everyone was away actually, with it being summer and all. Hagrid was off on a mission and the students and most of the teachers were gone."

"Wait," Harry said, very aware of the words Lupin chose, "_most_ of the teachers were gone?"

"Yes, they abducted Professor Trelawney but for what reason nobody rea-"

"NO!" Harry was suddenly horrified. Trelawney was the only one other than himself, Ron, and Hermione who knew about the prophecy. Even though she didn't remember giving it, a wizard like Voldemort could pull it out of her. Then suddenly things started falling in place for Harry. That was the reason MacNair had been so afraid of him. That was the reason the Death Eaters he saw were so scared. And that's probably the reason they weren't actively searching for him.

Lupin was astonished and confused by Harry's reaction. "Harry, I didn't think you were that close to Sybill."

"I wasn't, it's because of…" Harry stopped. In his shock he said too much and Lupin was very aware of the fact.

"Because of what, Harry?" There's really no point in hiding it now Harry thought. If Voldemort and his Death Eaters knew, then it was about time that the people who were fighting for him knew. "Because of the prophecy," Harry said.

"The one that was smashed at the Ministry? I thought that no one knew what it said?"

"Dumbledore knew. That's why he hired Trelawney, because 17 years ago she told him that I would have to kill Voldemort." He continued to recount the situation to Lupin who, if he was shocked, hid his emotions well. There was quite a long moment of silence before Lupin spoke.

"You know we, the Order that is, had guessed most of that but to hear all of it. So this power that you have…"

"It's the ability to love. I have it and Voldemort doesn't. That's why he couldn't possess me. He couldn't be in the same body as someone who loved."

"You knew this and still went out on your own. Harry, how can you not realize what this means? I know you want to save your friends but they want nothing more than to help you. Do you realize that with them by your side that you would be stronger to face him? Why do you think Dumbledore told you to trust in them so much? Harry you can not leave this house again without them."

Harry had never really thought about it in that way before. But he couldn't do it. They were much safer than here than they were with them. He cared too much to have them helping him. Then something clicked for him. Suddenly Dumbledore's voice was in his head…

"_you see Harry… I cared too much… What did I care if numbers of nameless and faceless people were slaughtered in the vague future if here and now you were alive and happy… an old man's mistake… exactly as Voldemort expects we fools who love to act."_

Harry was about to make the same mistake that Dumbledore had. Didn't he say that was the reason Sirius died? What if Voldemort knew that he would never take his friends into danger? Wouldn't that make it more dangerous for them? But could he really risk it? Could he take them away from the protection of the Order? No, no he couldn't. They would be safer here with everyone around.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. They are safer here with the Order protecting them."  
Lupin seemed furious. The only other time Harry had seen him angry was in third year when he was in the halls at night. This seemed like much more.

"What do you think we'll be able to do? Do you think it really matters who's in the Order when Voldemort comes here? No one will survive if he shows up at the doorstep!" Lupin was on the verge of yelling and Harry could tell that this was something that he had battled with in his head. Regaining his composure, Lupin continued. "Harry, no one is safe while Voldemort is around. He's been my nightmare for 20 years. I wake now dreadful that those red eyes are going to be staring back at me from the dark. He took almost everything I had the last time and I think he's more powerful now than he was then. And with Dumbledore gone he's going to move this war out into the open. There's going to be death and destruction on every street in this country."

Just then Mrs. Weasley came downstairs disrupting the tense situation in the kitchen. "What are you two doing down here?" she asked in a forceful but quiet voice. "You're waking up the whole house with this racket and I'm not sure its something that everyone needs to hear!"

"We were just talking Molly," Lupin replied, still staring hard at Harry.

"Well stop it," Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"Yes," Harry replied, thankful for the interruption. He stared directly at Lupin signaling that the discussion was indeed over. "We're through here Mrs. Weasley. I'm going up to bed," Harry said as he stood up from the table.

"Harry, we're going to have an Order meeting tomorrow and you're going to tell all of them what you told me tonight," Lupin said. Harry was now irritated that he was going to have to go through this again, but with many more people to throw accusations at him.

"Fine," he said quickly, "but you're going to answer their questions because I'm finished doing it." And with that he stormed up the stairs to fall into a sleep he knew would not come. As most other nights, Harry was not alone in his dreams. Dumbledore, as he always does, did not let him rest peacefully.  
_"the most powerful and the most dangerous thing in all the world… Love…that's what makes you different from him…"_


	5. Slip of the Century

**CHAPTER 5 – SLIP OF THE CENTURY**

Knowing that Harry went to bed late Mrs. Weasley had let him sleep in and it was just after breakfast when he came down the stairs. She was in the kitchen cleaning up when she noticed he came down.

"Morning dear, did you get any sleep last night?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"A bit," Harry replied. He saw that the Weasley children were outside playing Quiditch while Hermione sat by a tree reading a book and glancing up at the game.

"Why don't you go outside and fly a little Harry. It might do you some good," Mrs. Weasley said. Harry had to agree with her, it sounded like an excellent idea. He went outside, grabbed his broom and exploded into the air. He almost forgot how wonderful it felt to fly and wished that he'd gotten more opportunities to do it lately. The others greeted him enthusiastically as he approached. They spent a couple hours flying about and having a good time when lunch was called.

They came inside quickly as they worked up quite an appetite in the yard. Ginny took a seat across the room from Harry in a place where she would probably be the farthest away from him. Harry felt horrible. _Does she hate me that much?_ he asked himself. Hermione, who had just sat down next to him, seemed to read right into his head.

"Give it time," she whispered into his ear. This did not make him feel any less bad about the situation, but he was able to shift it out of his mind.

"Kids," Mrs. Weasley started, "since you can't go back to school this year you will be home-schooled." Ron groaned at this but Hermione seemed excited for the opportunity to learn. Fred and George, who had stayed for the wedding, simply laughed and pointed fingers at their siblings. "Professor McGonagall has sent us an outline of what your classes would have covered and I'm going to help you with some of it. The rest you'll have to learn from your books. Which reminds me, we'll have to go to Diagon Alley to pick up the books." She continued talking to herself as the others stopped paying attention. "Well… maybe Fred and George… we don't really have to leave the house… especially with you lot."

"So, you still getting a lot of business?" Harry asked the twins.

"It has died down a bit," replied Fred.

"But we still make loads off the Ministry," George added.

"And we got something for you we'll show you later," Fred said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Well," Harry responded, "I could use a good laugh I guess."

"Oh Harry, have you found any of the… you know," Hermione asked him, moving her hands in a gesture to indicate that she didn't want to say it in front of present company.

"I'll tell you guys later," whispered Harry. At this point Ron came up for air for the first time since lunch was served and he talked with a bit of it still in his mouth.

"You mean about the horcruxes?" he blurted out in a not so subtle way. Mrs. Weasley let out a gasp and dropped a plate at this comment, which shattered all over the floor. Hermione hung her head in her hands and Harry just stared at him with an open mouthed look of shock on his face. The room had grown deathly quiet as no one dared speak after what just happened.

"WHAT HAVE YOU LOT GOTTEN YOURSELVES INTO?" cried Mrs. Weasley who was now in pure panic. Ron had finally figured out his mistake and tried to talk his way out of it.

"What Mum? I asked him about crutches. You know Dad told me about 'em and they're very interesting," Ron said quickly.

"YOU SAID NOTHING ABOUT CRUTCHES RONALD WEASLEY! I HEARD EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID AND YOU WILL ANSWER ME AT THIS MOMENT!"

"No," Harry said, which was met with gasps from everyone at the table. Fred and George had begun to inch away from the table and Ron was so paralyzed with fear that he could not move. Mrs. Weasley's eyes were as big as dinner plates and her face was redder than Harry thought possible. "Now that it has been brought up," at this point he turned to stare at Ron before he continued, "it will be finished at the meeting tonight. Is that okay Mrs. Weasley?"

It took a minute before Mrs. Weasley composed herself to speak. "Yes, I suppose it would be better if the issue was addressed then," she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley," Harry said kindly, hoping that he didn't upset her.

The rest of the day was filled with quiet through out the house though there was a lot of tension. Harry had berated Ron in their room after lunch and Hermione put her share in after that. Harry knew that the information about the horcruxes was vital but he could trust the Order with it. He didn't really know what he was going to say at the meeting but he would have to say something. Hermione suggested that he stray from details and just give them an overview of the situation. Harry thought that it would probably be a good idea. He also thought that he could downplay the importance of it.

It was about an hour after dinner when the Order gathered at the Burrow, Professor McGonagall being the only surprise attendee. They were assembled in the living room and about to begin when Mad-Eye Moody spoke up.

"What's the reason for this Remus, we all got stuff to do and don't have time for another pointless meeting," he growled, his magical eye whizzing around inside his head.

"Trust me Moody, this will be a very informative meeting," Lupin replied. "So… how about we get started."

"Not with this lot here," said Mrs. Weasley and began to usher the kids out of the room.

"Actually Molly," Remus said, "Harry has to be here for this one."

"Fine, the rest of you get up the stairs," she said.

"No," this time it was Harry who spoke up. "I'm sorry to keep doing this to you Mrs. Weasley but they should stay this time." She started to object but he stopped her. "Fred and George are of age and Ron and Hermione know it all anyway."

"Fine, Ginny, upstairs," snapped Mrs. Weasley. Again Harry stopped her.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley, but I seem to remember Ginny being there at the Department of Ministry _and_ at Hogwart's last year. Both times she fought Death Eaters and fought well." Ginny seemed surprised that he said this and her face turned a darker shade of pink. "She has as much right as anybody to be here. I know you're worried about your family but with the way your kids are, they're going to do it anyway." Everyone in the room knew he was right but Mrs. Weasley looked at him as she never had before.

Mr. Weasley broke the tension after a moment of dreadful silence. "Molly, perhaps you should leave it up to them. He is right, our kids would do it anyway."  
Mrs. Weasley threw her hands in the air, admitting defeat. When it was clear that no one was leaving the room Harry started.

"Okay…well…There are two reasons you're here tonight. The first one would have remained a mystery had Ron not blurted it out this morning." Ron's ears reddened and he tried to hide behind the pillow he was holding. Harry went on to explain Dumbledore's theory about the horcruxes but did not tell them what they were or how many were left. He designed the speech so they got the basic principle but didn't grasp the full meaning of it. The topic was met with much shock at first but, much to Harry's surprise, did not cause panic or many questions. _I bet it's because they fully trust Dumbledore_ Harry thought. _Even in death he's respected more than anyone else._ Seeing that no more explanation was needed Harry continued even though some side conversations had sprung up.

"The second reason you are all here tonight is so I can tell you about the prophecy." Harry scanned the room noticing that he had everyone's attention now. He continued with the story and the room seemed to darken the further into it he got. There were some confused looks when he stated, word for word, the prophecy. When he finished he looked straight at Ginny.

"It means that I have to kill Voldemort or he has to kill me. That's the way it ends. There will be a final battle in which one of us will die." There were gasps in the room and Ginny's eyes grew wide. Harry could see a tear forming in the corner of it. He chose not to look at her, but the ground as he explained the next part.

"The power that _'the Dark Lord knows not'_ is love. I have the ability to love and he doesn't." There was silence in the room. Nobody dared speak. Harry gazed at Ginny who looked more scared than he had ever seen her, even when she was fighting Death Eaters. Harry let them think for a minute and then he spoke.

"Professor Lupin said that you had figured most of it out already. And Voldemort knows now so he'll have nothing to talk about when we meet so I reckon he'll just go about trying to kill me then." Moody looked slightly amused at Harry's matter-of-factness when discussing his probable death. His one good eye looked at him up and down seeming to size him up. There was a small smirk on his face as Harry continued.

"I don't know how long I'll stay here, it might be a couple days, I dunno. But I want to spend time with everybody and then I'm going to leave again. I'm sorry but I don't see any other way." After he looked into everyone's eyes, Ginny's twice, he turned and walked out of the house. He left behind him a quiet Weasley household which he was sure was the first time that's happened in years.


	6. The Night I Cried

**CHAPTER 6 – THE NIGHT I CRIED**

Harry stood about fifteen meters outside the house looking up at the sky. He was waiting for the whole thing to blow over. Conversation had started to buzz inside the house and he didn't know how long he was out there before someone came to him.

It actually turned out to be _someones_. Lupin had walked from the house to stand in front of Harry. He was flanked on one side by Hermione who had a stern look on her face in spite of her watering eyes.

Harry now felt trapped. He usually welcomed the advice they gave him but now it felt as if they were here to team up and overpower him. He didn't like to think his friends would do that to him. Hermione was the first one to speak up.

"Oh Harry, why don't you let people help you? Having people there who care about you can only make it better when you have to face him." She seemed under control but Harry, who had known her for seven years, could tell that she was trying to cover up her distress. Harry could feel his temper rise and it felt as if his face was getting hotter with every word she spoke. He knew this was going to happen from the moment Lupin set the meeting the night before.

"Because the prophecy says Harry; just Harry. It doesn't say Harry and Friends, does it?" He tried to keep his voice calm but he almost let loose his anger.

"That doesn't mean that your friends can't help you," Lupin said. Harry was sick of Lupin's words. He had to go through them last night and all he would do was say the same thing over again. But to Harry's surprise Lupin changed the direction of the conversation.

"When I was first bitten I felt alone, Harry. I thought that I would always be alone and could never have a normal life. My temper rose dramatically and I pushed everyone away. Most of my childhood memories consist of me sulking in my room. I couldn't bear the thought of being _part_ human.

"And then I met with Dumbledore, who allowed me to come to his school. At that school I met people who not only weren't afraid of what I was, but actually accepted it. They accepted the danger and stayed with me when _it_ happened. Your father, Sirius, Dumbledore,… and now you, Harry, made me feel like a _whole_ human.

"You see, Harry," it was Hermione's turn to speak, "you don't have to hold it all in. The people that care about you: Me, Lupin, the Weasley's, the whole Order; we accept that we won't know what you're going through, but we will be there to help you deal with it. Literally and figuratively."

Harry was touched at these words from two of his friends. Lupin had never shared with him like that but he was glad that he did. Although he was touched, he still was irritated. Hermione admitted that she didn't know what he was going through but everyone wanted to know. They always asked and he could never tell them because they would never understand. Lupin spoke after a couple of seconds of silence.

"When my family first found out about… _me_, my father sat me down and told me something that I'll never forget. He said, 'Life asks of you what it thinks you can handle.'"

"So this is what life asks of me?" Harry could feel himself losing control. There was a crowd gathered at the door behind him which seemed to spur his anger on to the point that he stopped thinking. His voice rose to a yell and he could feel his body get warmer from the pressure as sweat beaded on his forehead. "Life asked me to have my family murdered? Life asked me to grow up without parents? To live with people who call me 'boy' and hoped that I never came back into their home to disrupt their lives with my presence?" Tears started to fall down Hermione's face. This made Harry even angrier, which he didn't think was possible. He never spoke of his childhood and it came as a shock to all who heard. His throat burned from yelling and when he spoke it came as a hoarse growl.

"I lived in a broom closet under the stairs for ten years. They padlocked it so they could let me out when it was convenient to them. They encouraged their son to beat me up at every opportunity." Hermione was now crying uncontrollably and Harry heard several sniffs behind him. He took a couple steps towards Lupin.

"All my life people have whispered and talked behind my back. I was the target of rumors and accusations from the Ministry of Magic. I was forced to carve 'I will not tell lies' into the back of my hand, over and over and over." He took a couple more steps towards Lupin, showing him the scars on his hand. He could feel tears streaming down his face now but he stopped caring.

"I watched Voldemort return. I fought him. I saw Cedric Diggory die. I saw Sirius die. I saw Dumbledore die. And you all will be next. He will try to kill all of you because of me." Harry was now breathing hard. Everything that had eaten at him when he was alone finally surfaced. He never broke his stare from Lupin.

"Harry, sometimes the world-"

"WHAT IF I WANT TO LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND? WHAT IF I DON'T CARE ANYMORE?" Lupin was now shocked. Harry lost all control of himself. He dropped to his knees, crying. The faces of people he cared about but were no longer with him flashed in front of his eyes. It took him several silent minutes before he could speak again.

"Sometimes I wish it would end. I wish I could see a flash of green light and it would be over with. I sometimes wish that I could give it all back. I would give back all of it so those people could be here. How I would gladly trade my life for theirs in a second." He didn't want to move. He wanted to stay right where he was and hope that everyone would just leave him alone.

He felt Lupin place a hand on his shoulder and he forcibly shrugged it off. Everyone was afraid to move or make any sound at all. He felt someone kneel down in front of him and wrap their arms around him. It was Ginny. She was crying too and he hugged her tight. It calmed him down a little bit.

He stood up, with Ginny still under his arm. Lupin was speechless even though his mouth was open. Harry stared him straight in the eyes before he spoke.

"Those people that died, they died for me. That's why I can't give it back. They made the ultimate sacrifice so that I could go on. Well you know what? That's it. No one else is going to die for me. I'm going after Voldemort for that reason. I'm going to find him and I'm going to kill him. Then, everyone who died, everyone who bled, everyone who suffered will finally be at peace."

Harry and Ginny walked arm in arm back to the house. The people at the door split to let them through. They walked right up the stairs into Harry's room. Ginny helped lay him on the bed and took his glasses off. She said something quietly that he didn't comprehend. As Harry fell asleep he heard her sit down on Ron's bed still sobbing.


	7. The Night After

**CHAPTER 7 – THE NIGHT AFTER**

Harry didn't know how long he slept but it was dark when he finally awoke. He didn't feel like getting up. Shame and embarrassment kept him in bed. Last night he had shown weakness like he never did before and it tore him up inside. To think that everyone had put their faith in someone who broke down like he did. He wondered if they would ever trust him again.

It wasn't long before he found what woke him up. There were voices outside the door.

"To be honest, Molly, I am surprised this hasn't happened sooner." It was Lupin. Harry immediately felt sick to his stomach. He had yelled at Lupin who has never done anything but try to help. Harry wished he could disappear from this place. "Seriously, he's been through so much and never let it out. I don't know many people who could have dealt with it the way Harry has."

"Maybe we should wake him up though," Mrs. Weasley sounded concerned. "He has to be hungry. He's been asleep for over 20 hours."

"Don't you think he deserves it? Realizing what he has to do I imagine the least we can do is let him sleep."

Harry heard the springs in the other bed squeak as someone got up. They crept out of the door and addressed the people in the hall. It was Ginny.

"You know he can probably hear every word you two are saying?"

"Is he awake?" asked Lupin.

"I don't know. Harry usually goes in and out of sleep anyway. I imagine he doesn't really want to get out of bed. I'm not sure how he feels about last night."

"Maybe I could just pop in and check up on him," said Mrs. Weasley.

"He'll get up when he's ready Mum. Besides, the last thing he wants to do is get woken up by a bunch of people who want to baby him." Harry felt a wave of gratitude rush over him. How could he not see Ginny for what she was earlier? She was remarkable and he couldn't see it for so long.

"Ginny dear, why don't you at least come down and eat a little. You've been up here all day."

"I ate a little lunch. Don't worry, I'll come down when Harry's ready." The door opened and Ginny came back into the room. She walked over and checked to see if Harry was awake.

"You _did _hear every word didn't you?" Harry couldn't help but smile as he turned over. "You little sneak."

"I couldn't help it. You guys were talking so loud." He reached up and took her hand, looking up at the blur in front of him. "Thank you Ginny. Thanks for everything." She pulled her hand away and Harry thought she was going to leave. But he felt his glasses put into his hand and he quickly put them on. Ginny was sitting on the other bed smiling at him.

"I'm surprised you got my hand on the first try without your glasses." Harry gave a little chuckle at her comment.

"Harry, about last night - no, let me talk. When you broke up with me, you said it was because you wanted to protect me. But I couldn't help thinking that it was because you didn't think I could take care of myself. Last night you showed me that I was wrong and I'm sorry."

"_You_ don't have anything to apologize for, Ginny," Harry said as he looked out through the window into the yard. He saw two figures walking along the tree line, talking and smiling at each other. He saw it was Ron and Hermione and he turned away. _What will they think of me?_

"You don't have anything to apologize for either Harry," Ginny said. "Nobody could have gone through what you have and be happy about it."

"What are people going to think of me? How can I be 'the Chosen One' and act like I did last night?"

"You've never been 'the Chosen One' to us. You've always been Harry…just Harry." They sat in silence for a while. Harry was grateful to have Ginny with him. "C'mon 'Chosen One' lets go get something to eat."

She stood up, grabbed his hand and led him downstairs. Mrs. Weasley was over the stove and, when she heard them coming, smiled at both of them.

"Why don't you two go sit outside and I'll bring some food out to you," she said. Harry felt warmth flush over him. He had never heard anyone who could speak with as much love in their voice as Mrs. Weasley did. He smiled at her as they proceeded out of the house.

They walked out to one of the tables still left over from the wedding and sat down. They talked for a while about different things. Then Ron and Hermione came walking up holding hands. When they saw Harry and Ginny waiting for them they broke apart, blushing.

"Good, we thought you were going to sleep through the night," Ron said.

"I didn't know you were so concerned about me," Harry replied.

"Well I'm not, its just that we haven't had a decent meal since before the meeting last night." Hermione hit Ron in the arm and everyone just laughed. They both sat down at the table to join their friends. There was some silence as they all sat and enjoyed each other's company.

"Harry," Ron started, "I've thought about this a lot and I'm not going to let you leave here alone." Harry heard Hermione give a quiet "shhh". Harry kind of chuckled.

"What exactly do you plan on doing about it?" Harry asked him.

"I'm gonna hex you if you try to leave."

"Ron you're a stupid prat, you know that?" Harry said. "If all you're going to do is threaten me then I'm not going to let you come."

"I'm a prat, am I?" Ron yelled. "Well nobody really cares what you think. Nobody gives a---" Ron stopped as he realized just what Harry said. "What do you mean?" Harry sighed as he looked at them. They had been right from the beginning. If his power is the ability to love then they should be with him to help nurture it. _What am I getting them into?_ he asked himself.

"I've been thinking about it and you guys are right. If you want to come with me then you can." There was a look of delight on Ron and Hermione's face. He put his hands up to stop their little celebration. "You have to understand that it's going to be terribly dangerous."

"Harry," Hermione said, "we know it is. Ever since the troll in our first year it's been the three of us. And it's always going to be the three of us."

"_Four_," Ginny piped up. "There's four of us." She had her hands crossed and one of Mrs. Weasley's looks on her face. _I can't pass up this opportunity_ thought Harry.

"Ginny," he said in a very sympathetic tone, "you're too young. I don't really think that you're capable enough to help us." Ginny shot up from her seat, her face as red as a setting sun.

"HARRY POTTER I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU JUST TOLD ME THAT. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE… YOU'RE A… YOU'RE A…" Harry couldn't contain himself any longer. He burst out laughing and was soon followed by Ron and Hermione. Ginny sat down, her face still red, and tried to look angry. Unfortunately it didn't work and she slowly let out a smile that turned into a big laugh that she shared with everyone else.

"You're going to pay for that," Ginny said after everyone had gotten control of themselves.

"I know, but it was well worth it," Harry said, still chuckling to himself. There were several moments of silence before Ron spoke up.

"So we're really going to do it. We're going to go after… after… _him_," Ron said. It sounded like he had to say it out loud before he actually believed it.

At that moment Mrs. Weasley came out with a tray of food. Ron gave a gasp of relief and mumbled something about finally getting a good meal.

"Here Mrs. Weasley, let me help you," Harry said as he stood up to grab the tray from her hands.

Just then there was a loud crack behind him. He saw Mrs. Weasley's face go white and heard a scream come from Hermione. He tried to turn around but he was surrounded in a bear hug just as he started to move. A hand went over his mouth and he dropped the tray onto the ground.

He saw his friends reach for their wands before the familiar feeling of compression swept over him. His heart seemed to drop into his stomach before he returned to normal size. His feet hit the stone floor followed by the rest of him. There was a cloud of dust that encircled him as he sat up onto his knees. He pulled his wand out as he composed himself, adjusting to his new surroundings.

"Hello Harry," came a high pitched voice behind him, "nice to see you again."

Harry whirled around with his wand at the ready. He saw two red eyes staring back at him and, as the dust settled, came the full view of Lord Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard the world has ever known.


	8. Words of Caution

**CHAPTER 8 – WORDS OF CAUTION**

"Leave us," Voldemort said to Harry's captor. Harry looked up at the Death Eater but could not tell who was behind the mask.

"But Master…" the servant said. It was Dolohov.

"I said leave" Voldemort hissed, not taking his eyes off of Harry.

"Yes Master." The Death Eater turned and walked out of the room. Harry looked around noticing, for the first time, the room they were in. It was a stone room with no windows. There was an old wooden chair in the corner with dust on it and a fire blazing in the fireplace to his right.

"I have longed for this moment Harry; to meet you again." Voldemort was almost smiling as he said this, but there was no joy in the smile. "Tell me, how did you feel before you were grabbed out from under the nose of your… '_protectors'_," he stretched out the last s in the word as a snake would do.

Harry tried to remember what he was doing just moments ago. He was sitting at a table enjoying conversation with his best friends.

"Ah, yes, you were happy weren't you?" Voldemort replied as if reading his mind. _Damn it, he can read my mind_ Harry thought to himself. "Yes, your thoughts are not safe so I would advise you to answer truthfully as it will be much more pleasant. Well, for you anyway."

Despite his shaking legs Harry stood to face his nemesis. He was scared. Dumbledore would not be here to save the day and his wand… wait…could it work again?

"No, you will not be that lucky again Harry Potter," Voldemort answered him. "Take a look behind you on the wall." Harry turned to see a man hanging from shackles against the wall. He looked closer and saw that it was Olivander, the wand-maker. "You see, the fancy trick you used to escape me the first time will not work again. I have a new wand, a _powerful_ new wand."

Harry turned to see Voldemort clutching a white, cylindrical piece of wood in his hands. He was stroking it as if it were a pet.

"And now that I do, I will not need him. _Avada Kedavra!_" A green beam of light exploded from Voldemort's wand, hitting Olivander in the chest. His body flung up against the wall and then went limp. He was hanging by the shackles, swinging like a pendulum.

"NO!" Harry screamed and pointed his wand at Voldemort. Before he could say a word his wand was flying out of his hand and bounced several feet away.

"You will not be needing that."

Harry was scared now. He had just watched another person die because of him. There was an empty feeling in his chest. _This is it, this is how I'm going to die_.

"No, you stupid boy, I'm not going to kill you. The time for that final battle has not yet come."

_So now he knows about the prophecy_ Harry thought to himself.

"Of course I know. It did not take me long to pry the memory out of that horribly stupid, weak woman. I can't say I was surprised though Harry. The two sides were destined to meet and, of course, who else but us. So you are probably wondering why you are here, if I am not going to kill you."

"Well, I had assumed that it has been a while since you bathed and you wanted me to get those hard to reach places." Harry smiled at himself. In spite of his fear, the murder he had just witnessed and the absence of his wand he was still fighting.

"_Crucio_"

Harry's scar exploded, ripping his body in two. His blood was boiling in his veins and he felt like his insides were bursting. He writhed on the ground yelling at the top of his lungs. When it was over Harry stood up as quickly as he could, although it hurt to do so.

"This is no laughing matter Harry. Well… at least not for you." What was left of his lips formed a wicked smile.

"Harry, the reason you are here is simple: Proof. This is proof of how powerful I am. You felt happy before, when you were with your friends didn't you? How do you feel now that you know I can get you anytime I want Harry."

Harry's stomach dropped. _If he can get to me at will then he can get anyone._

"Yes, I can get your friends too. The ones you love, Harry, they will die in front of your eyes. I will force you to watch them suffer." Voldemort started walking along the wall, never breaking his eye contact with him. "Ah, and Miss Ginny Weasley, I can get her too."

Harry felt himself lunge at Voldemort. He got two steps in before he was thrown against the wall. With his wind gone it took some effort to stand up. He looked across the room and saw Voldemort smiling.

"Harry, Harry… you need to keep control of that temper of yours. It could get you into trouble some day. So," Voldemort said as he took several steps forward, "I think I would like to meet this Ginny of yours." Voldemort looked right into Harry's eyes. "Oh, it looks like I have already met her. It's a shame I do not remember it. That was another time, a separate entity." Voldemort's eyes widened into a look Harry had never seen from him. "Yes…yes it was a horcrux. So you know about those do you Harry?"

Voldemort broke eye contact and turned his back. He walked to the other side of the room before he whirled around. He looked furious and when he spoke his voice was filled with venom.

"It matters not. They will not help you. You will never find the last one Harry. Besides, a muggle-loving little boy like you could never defeat the greatest wizard the world has ever seen."

"I did it before and I'll do it again," Harry shouted. All that was returned to him was a cold laugh that filled the room.

"Do not mistake luck for skill Harry. It might breed a confidence in abilities you do not possess."

"Speaking of which, how do you feel Harry? How do you feel without Dumbledore here and with out the protection of your mudblood mother?"

Harry was fuming. How dare he call his mother that? _No, calm down. This is what he wants you to do_. His breathing slowed a little and an idea sprung into his head.

"What's the matter _Tom_, are you upset that you were outsmarted by a muggle born witch?" He stressed the name Tom and a smirk crept onto his face as he said this. But a few seconds later he almost wished he hadn't.

"_Crucio!"_

A thousand knives plunged into Harry's body. His head felt like it was going to explode and he was pretty sure he was screaming although he couldn't tell. And then it was gone. He was on the ground and he was shaking.

"Do you think that name has some sort of control over me? I don't presume to expect a muggle loving fool such as yourself can handle the reality of what I've become. Lord Voldemort is someone completely different than poor, weak Tom Riddle."

Harry was silently pleased with himself as he started to move. It hurt to do so but he knew that he must stand. He must show strength to his enemy. Every muscle in his body burned as he forced himself to stand.

"Harry, we are not that much different; you and I. Look into your past and you will see the similarities in our childhoods. We were both orphans who were ill informed about our powers until later in life. Our lives have been filled with tragic occurrences. The pain, the anguish, that is what you and I share."

"MY PAIN WAS BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU CAUSED IT ALL!" Harry screamed even though his throat was burning. He was pointing a shaking finger at Voldemort before he looked down and realized that his whole arm was shaking.

"Never the less, we are cut from the same mold Harry. It is a shame you have chosen the wrong path. Your anger, your hate, your contempt for those muggle relatives, they could have made you strong." He began to walk with his head down in a circle around Harry, who did not turn with him. When he completed the circle he snapped his head up.

"Instead you chose to love, and it has made you weak. But I guess I can expect no less from a Gryffindor." He began to smile and approached Harry until they were face to face.

"Now is the time Harry. Everywhere people will know Lord Voldemort's wrath. There will not be a muggle or mudblood alive who does not fear me and my Death Eaters. And anyone who stands in my way will be _crushed_." As he said this he closed his hand into a fist in front of Harry's face.

"You will witness the powers I possess. And I will not stop until everyone you love is dead. And then… and then it will be your turn Harry." He smiled as he backed away. "That is something I will be looking forward to with great anticipation."

There was silence in the room as Voldemort stood in contemplation. About what Harry did not know but he had to keep talking. He had to interrupt whatever it was Voldemort was thinking about.

"If you are so great," Harry began, "why do you fear death?"

"_Crucio_"

Harry smacked his head on the floor as he twisted in pain. He heard voices cry out in his head. His entire body was on fire and there were black spots starting to appear in his vision. This was longer than the others had been. He could not even yell and in his mind he begged for death. Finally it stopped and Harry lie on the floor breathing very heavily, which caused him great pain. He had no strength left to stand this time.

Voldemort walked over to him, put his foot on Harry's shoulder and rolled him over on his back. He looked up at the thing that had once resembled a man.

"Lord Voldemort fears nothing you foolish boy. If you only knew, if you had the intellectual capacity to fathom the depths of my power, you would not even dare to make jokes in my presence.

"You have a strange sureness of yourself boy, one that goes hand in hand with stupidity. Be careful not to let it overcome you. I would hate for someone else to kill you before I get the chance. Until then, perhaps a reminder of who I am would help you to understand the gravity of your situation."

Voldemort stabbed his wand at the air and Harry felt a piercing through his right forearm. As his wand lowered a very deep gash appeared down Harry's arm. He had never seen this kind of control over the Secumseptra spell. Voldemort did it slowly, painfully. It was worse than Harry could ever have imagined. If he had the ability to scream anymore he would have. He shut his eyes and he clenched his teeth.

Voldemort moved his wand and another gash slowly appeared down Harry's left forearm. He felt himself lift into the air and flip over. There were cuts across his back, each made as slowly as possible. It felt like his skin was being torn rather than cut.

Harry didn't know how long it lasted. It felt like several days but was probably only several minutes. When Voldemort was finished he had cuts all over his back and chest. Blood stained his clothes and the stone floor around him. Harry felt like if he moved he would pass out from the pain. When Voldemort spoke it seemed like his voice was muffled, like he was hearing it through a wall.

"Malfoy!" Harry felt a wand being shoved into his pocket but he couldn't look down. His whole body throbbed. It hurt to move, to breath, even to think.

"Yes, my Lord," a voice said.

"Take him back to his blood traitor friends."

"Yes, my Lord."

"And Draco, you can have a little fun while you're there."

"Thank you, my Lord. Your generosity greatly humbles me."

Harry, who was on the verge of passing out, felt hot breath in his ear. "Remember this Harry," said Voldemort. "And try not to lose consciousness, I would not want you to miss the show."

He heard a cold laugh as he felt like he was squeezed into a box. The pain was terrible. He wanted to yell but no noise came out.

All of a sudden he felt himself lying on grass and heard screams echo through the air. There were flashes of lights and footsteps but he didn't know what was happening. He heard something fall next to him but couldn't tell what it was.

And then he saw the cause of the disturbance. Silver white hair surrounding a face he hated. It was Draco Malfoy and he was attacking his friends. Harry mustered every ounce of energy he could. Even though it pained him terribly he reached down and grabbed his wand. His vision was starting to blur as he felt the comfortable pressure of wood in his grasp.

Looking up he saw a blur in front of him, but that blur had blond hair. This was his target. He pointed his wand and said the words he never thought were possible.

"_Avada Kedavra"_

There was a flash of light and a body dropped next him. He closed his eyes and welcomed death.


	9. Echoes from the Past Part 2

**CHAPTER 9 – ECHOES FROM THE PAST PART 2**

Harry walked along the tree line of the forbidden forest. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and this could possibly be the happiest he had felt in his entire life. He looked out over the lake, seeing one of the squid's tentacles flop above water for just a second. There was a slight breeze and all the centaurs had come to the edge of the wood to greet them as they walked.

"Was anyone hurt Professor?" Harry asked to the man on his side.

"Not seriously," Dumbledore replied as he smiled and looked at Harry over top his half moon spectacles. "There were several injuries but they were cleared up rather quickly."

"And what about Malfoy?" Harry had wondered what happened after he passed out.

"He is just unconscious. I'm not surprised to tell you that your curse did not have enough strength to kill him."

"I'm not really too surprised to hear you tell me that Professor," Harry replied. "I don't really know why I tried to kill him. The words just kind of came out of my mouth."

"Harry, not a single person who knows you expected that curse to work. This is not a slight on you but rather a compliment. You see, the people who care about you know that you could never bring yourself to kill someone." Harry thought about this as they walked further and Dumbledore, seeing him in hard concentration, remained quite as they continued.

"Sir, how am I supposed to kill Voldemort if I can't bring myself to use the spell correctly?"

"Ah, Harry, that is the key isn't it," Dumbledore said as his eyes twinkled. "I am not quite sure as to how that final battle will play out, but I have great confidence that you will know what to do when you get to that point." He walked for a while deep in thought before his head snapped up.

"Now we've come to the reason I wanted to speak with you. Harry, last year I told you that you could trust Ron and Hermione completely. Do you remember this?" Harry nodded. "Okay, there is one more person I believe can be added to that list." Harry waited for him to tell but he didn't.

"Who is it professor?"

"Oh, I think you already know," Dumbledore replied with a smug grin on his face as if a plan had just come together perfectly. Harry was beside himself. _Who was he talking about? Who can I trust as much as Ron and Hermione?_ And then the answer hit him.

"Ginny," he said.

"Yes, Harry, I believe Miss Weasley would be an excellent addition to that list." They walked on a bit farther down the tree line in silence. "Alas, my time here is finished I think. But before I take my leave I would like to give you one more piece of advice Harry. Trust in your heart. I told you once before that it was your heart that saved you. Let that part of you guide your decisions. You must do this for me. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir. Goodbye professor," Harry said as Dumbledore walked away.

"Harry, this is not goodbye," Dumbledore replied.

Harry looked up and noticed that he was far from the castle. He decided it was time to head back. As he walked towards the castle another man joined in stride beside him. Harry almost chuckled but caught himself.

"Hey snuffles," Harry said, suppressing a smile.

"Hi Harry, how are you doing?" His godfather Sirius looked down at him and smiled. It was not a general question but specific and he knew this.

"Okay I guess. I just don't know how I'm going to do it Sirius. How am I going to kill Voldemort?"

"I don't know kid, all that mental stuff is Dumbledore's job. I'm just here to make sure you're getting by alright."

"I'm just worried about everyone. There are going to be more deaths and it's not going to stop. People are going to die because of me." Harry seemed to have slowed down his walking and stopped by a tree. He was very familiar with this tree, spending many of afternoons camped out under it.

"Harry, I'm not going to lie to you. People are going to die. Possibly a lot of people, I don't really know for sure. But the one thing I can tell you is that it's not because of you." Harry looked up at Sirius who was staring out over the lake. He seemed to think it would be easier to tell Harry all this if he didn't look at him.

"But what about all the people I've cared about…my parents…you…Dumbledore. What about them? They died protecting me." Harry didn't think there was anything that could change his mind on this issue. He'd been through it so much in his head already. He was wrong.

"Harry, we did die protecting you. But that act was a part in a process. A process where Voldemort was defeated. Don't you see? We would've fought anyway, with or without you because that's who we are. But with you in our lives, it made the fighting mean something. It made us fight harder, better. It made our lives in time of turmoil just that much easier to cope, to smile, to live."

Harry smiled to himself. He found out exactly what Sirius meant last year in Dumbledore's office as he had the relevance of the prophecy explained to him.

"Yeah, Sirius, I think I understand now," Harry said as he returned to his journey towards the castle.

"Good, I didn't want to be here all night explaining this to you," Sirius said with a smile as he fell in step with Harry. As they approached the main doors Harry saw more people waiting for him at the entrance.

"Well, Harry, this is where we part ways. Just remember people can make their own decisions so just let them. If you try to force your will on a situation you become like Voldemort."

"Thank you Sirius. Goodbye," Harry said.

"Harry, this is not goodbye," Sirius called back to him.

Harry walked on towards the main entrance and saw two people sitting on the steps, waiting for him. His face grew into a huge grin as he ran to meet his parents. He ran up and flung one arm around each of them. They hugged him back in a joyful reunion. And then Harry broke as a terrible realization came to him.

"None of this is real, is it?" he asked in a quiet, distant voice.

"No sweetie, its not," his mother answered him. "But it's the only time we'll get to talk to you for a while."

"How 'ya been son?" Harry's father asked. "Been kicking butt in Quidditch have you?" Lily elbowed him lightly in his ribs and gave a quiet "James!" Harry smiled.

"Well I know you would not have raised me to openly boast so I'll just say that I'm doing okay." James returned his smile. "If this is not real then what am I doing here?"

"Technically, you're not here," his father told him. "Your body is down there at the Weasley's and I gotta tell you; it ain't pretty." His father was no longer smiling. "You gave us a right scare with what happened to you."

"Harry," his mother started, "do you have anything you want to ask us?"

"Um… No. Wait! Yeah, how did you ever get together? From what I saw, you," he pointed at his father, "were a giant prat and you," he pointed at his mother, "hated his guts."

"Harry! Don't call your father a prat," his mother snapped. His father just laughed.

"Lily, it's okay. I kind of deserved it. I did have a huge ego back then." She smiled up at him.

"I know, that's why I didn't even give you the time of day until your head shrunk a little," his mother replied. "See Harry, I always liked James, I just couldn't let him think he was as dashing and charming as he really was. But as soon as he started acting like a real person, then I opened up to him."

"That, Harry, runs in the family. Strong-willed women. Somehow I can't get enough of 'em."

"_Excuse me_. What do you mean you can't get enough of _them_?" James looked down at Lily and winked. All three of them broke out in laughter and it took them a minute to calm down.

"Harry," his mother said to him, "we are so proud of you. The way you've handled things and what you've done, we couldn't have asked for a better son. I'm just sorry we couldn't be with you." A tear started to fall down her face as James put his arm around her.

"Don't be sorry mum," Harry told her. "Besides, it's not like you weren't with me. I always knew you were. I felt it in my heart and knew that you were watching me."

"Our boy's grown up hasn't he Lil?" James asked his wife, who was on the verge of crying. She nodded her head in between sniffs. Then there was a gong as the bell started ringing through the grounds. Lily's face lit up and her eyes widened. She turned down to Harry.

"Look Harry, we only have another minute or so." She spoke to him a rushed tone, "when you go back into your body its going to be painful. I'm so sorry it's the only way." She was crying now and looked very distressed.

"Harry, you must be strong for us," James told him. There was a loud rumbling in his ears and he could feel his eyes watering. "There are going to be worse things ahead but you have to show the courage of a true Gryffindor. Can you do that?"

"Why can't I have more time?" Harry asked, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Harry you have to promise me," his father yelled as the rumbling became louder.

"I promise."

"Harry," his mother grabbed his shoulders, "Harry we love you. We know you can do this." She had lost control of herself and could barely speak between the sobs.

"MUM!" Harry shouted as the rumbling got louder. "Mum, don't cry. Don't cry mum. I'll be okay. I'll be okay." Harry was starting to cry now and his mother wrapped her arms around him. James came and enveloped both of them in his arms.

"Harry," James said loudly over the noise, "Trust in you heart, trust in your friends and trust in what's good inside of you. We love you Harry!"

Harry could feel himself being torn away from the parents he had just met for the first time. He began screaming.

"NO! COME BACK. I NEED MORE TIME!" He could barely talk now he was crying so hard. "I NEED MORE TIME!"

He heard a voice in his ear that sounded exactly like his father's. "Harry, this is not goodbye."

Then Harry sat up quickly from his bed. As soon as he did his muscles burned, his bones ached and his head felt like it had been crushed. He felt like he had been put under the Cruciatus Curse the pain was so terrible. The cuts that had started to heal all over his body broke open again as he shook uncontrollably. He felt like he was having a seizure and every moment was agony.

"HARRY!" There was someone screaming but he couldn't tell if it was real. "HARRY! HOLD ON! MUM! MUM! HARRY NEEDS YOU!"

"OH MY GOD!" Harry heard a second voice and he wasn't sure if it was real either. Both voices started to scream as he continued his convulsions. He felt hands on him trying to hold him down but it wasn't working.

"HOLD ON HARRY! HOLD ON! HARRY!" Harry now heard several more voices and it sounded like they were all shouting. He felt something building up inside him and he prepared for one last shudder. When it came, it came violently. Harry seemed to be lifted off of the bed by the force of it. He couldn't take it anymore and finally passed out from the pain. He heard a voice echo through his head. It was a voice that was familiar to him in his sleep. It repeated something Harry had heard a long time ago.

_"Death is but the next great adventure."_


	10. Me, My Friends, and I

**CHAPTER 10 – ME, MY FRIENDS, AND I**

Harry opened his eyes. He was lying in a bed in the Weasley's home and sunlight shone through the window at his side. Curled up at the foot of the bed was the red haired form of Ginny Weasley, sleeping in the golden afternoon rays.

"Ginny," he whispered. She blinked her eyes slowly to see what woke her. Her eyes went wide when she saw Harry looking back.

"HARRY!" She exclaimed and threw her arms around him. It hurt him a little as he was still sore but he didn't care. He hugged her back, breathing in her smell and realizing that this was where he belonged. Breaking the embrace he took her by the arms and stared into her eyes.

"Ginny, I can't hold this in any longer," he told her. "I belong with you. I don't want to be apart from you longer than necessary. Will you be with me?"

"Oh Harry, yes!" She said as her eyes started to build up with tears.

"You do realize the consequences of this decision? Your life would be in danger all the time. You could be hurt or even killed."

"I know and I don't care. I will be with you Harry. I will stand with you and I will fight with you. And you should know that I was going to anyway, no matter what you said. I love you Harry Potter." She hugged him tight, as if she was afraid that if she let go he would slip away from her.

"I love you Ginny Weasley," he said. Then he kissed her like it was the last kiss he was ever going to have. Time slipped by and it was a while before there was a gentle cough at the door. Harry broke the kiss and looked up to see Hermione smiling, tears falling down her face. She ran over and practically jumped on Harry.

"Oh Harry, you're okay!" It seemed like weeks of frustration was released with this statement. She was laughing and crying at the same time, making a horrible noise.

"What the bloody hell is that ungodly racket?" Ron asked from the door as he walked to the bed. He had a huge smile on his face when he clapped Harry on the shoulder. "You gave us a right good scare mate," he said.

"I think I gave myself a scare," Harry replied.

"HARRY!" A voice exclaimed and the next thing anyone knew the entire lot was engulfed in a motherly hug. Mrs. Weasley was crying but smiling at the same time. "Dear we were so worried. How do you feel? Do you want me to bring up some food?" Harry smiled. _This is my family now_ he thought as a warm feeling rippled through his body.

"I'm a little sore still and I don't feel very strong," he answered truthfully. "But I'll come down in a bit. I could use some food."

"Well I'll get started right away," she said as she hurried out of the room.

"Nobody knows what happened," Ron told him when Mrs. Weasley was finally down the stairs "We saw you get taken by the Death Eater. Next thing we knew you and Malfoy dropped in and he started throwing curses everywhere."

Harry told them all what happened, leaving out some of the things Voldemort had told him. The entire time Ginny was squeezing his hand for reassurance. When he had finished they sat in silence for several minutes. Hermione and Ginny had sympathetic tears stained on their cheeks and Ron just stared at the same spot on the wall.

"I'm going to do it," Harry said. "I'm going to kill him. I'm going to win." He was smiling and had a lot of confidence as he spoke.

"You know what the last horcrux is?" Hermione asked with an excited look on her face.

"No, not at all," Harry replied.

"How are you going to kill him?" Ron asked.

"No idea," Harry laughed.

"What are you so damn happy about then?" Ron wondered as he was convinced his friend was going crazy.

"Don't you see?" Harry said as his audience shook their heads. "He's scared. Otherwise he would have killed me straightaway. Voldemort knows the whole prophecy now and he doesn't know what to think of me." Looks of comprehension appeared on his friends faces.

"He's overconfident," said Hermione as Harry nodded his head. "He doesn't think he can be defeated, especially not by you."

"YES!" Harry cried getting very excited. "That's why I think I've been looking in the wrong place for the last horcrux."

"It'll be something so obvious that it's hidden!" Hermione exclaimed, she too was getting excited.

"YES!" Harry knew Hermione was intelligent but he didn't expect her to catch on this quickly. "It would perfect for him to have a part of his soul right under everyone's nose." Harry gingerly swam his way through his friends to get out of bed. He went to stand up but his right leg wouldn't let him. Ron quickly came to his side to help support his weight.

"Thanks," he said. "In a couple days when I recover we should get started on some of the research. How long have I been laid up?" He asked, not even knowing what day it was.

"A week," Ginny told him. "Harry, we should look into Hogwart's. He probably thought it would be a great idea to have something right in front of Dumbledore."

Harry didn't hear this last part. _A week_, he thought, _they're going to come after everyone I love._

"We have to get out of here," he said, very much alert now. Ginny, Ron and Hermione just looked at him, not moving. "We have to leave now! Its not safe here. Quick, grab whatever you need and get it packed. NOW!" At this his friends sped out of the room to start packing.

Harry grabbed his firebolt and turned it upside down to use as a walking stick. He hobbled down the stairs as fast as his body could carry him. When he got to the kitchen he saw Mrs. Weasley fixing something to eat and Lupin was talking to her. He stopped talking as Harry walked weakly into the room.

"Mrs. Weasley," he started, "we have to get your family out of here. Death Eaters are coming." Mrs. Weasley stared at him in bewilderment while Lupin had stood up looking very concerned.

"Molly," Lupin turned to face her, "get whatever you can packed up and get the kids down here." Mrs. Weasley hesitated and then left the room quickly.

"Harry, what is this about?" Lupin asked him.

"They're coming here. I need you to get some Order members. We're going to need some at the back and at the front." Lupin looked at him confused. "We're going to Grimmwauld Place."

"What do you mean the back and the front?"

"We need a couple people here to cover our escape and a couple people there to cover our arrival. Lupin," he turned to face Harry, "give them the instructions to not worry about protecting me, just the Weasley's."

"You can't honestly believe that I'm going to tell them--"

"Yes, you are going to tell them," Lupin was taken aback. "Look, the Death Eaters will have orders to not hurt me. Its my friends they're after. You have to promise me that you will not risk your own life to protect me."

"If you're sure Harry," Lupin said, not believing what Harry was telling him.

"We're going to need it in five minutes. Can that happen?"

"Yeah, the whole Order's been on active duty for a year now. I'll bring Tonks here with me and put Moody and Shacklebolt at Grimmwauld Place." He turned to leave when Harry stopped him.

"Bring Moody here instead of Tonks. There shouldn't be any trouble at Grimmwauld Place but there may be a lot here. I'd rather have you and Moody at my back."

"Okay, I'll get on it." He left to make the proper communications. Harry hobbled over to the post to lean against it. He didn't want to put too much pressure on his broom. He sat contemplating the situation for several minutes before the Weasley's started to show up with their bags packed. They looked flustered but they were ready to go. Lupin returned with Moody.

"What's this all about Potter?" he growled.

"We're helping get these people out of here," Harry replied. "Okay, we're going to do this nice and easy. Those who can't apparate will need to side-along."

"Harry, we should do this outside so we have more room," Lupin said noticing the scared looks on Ginny and Ron's faces when he mentioned apparating.

"No, we do it here," Harry replied, quite confident in the plan. "If they come through the door we only have to deal with them one at time. Right," he looked at Lupin, "are we ready?" Lupin nodded his head. "Okay, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley first. Ron and Hermione next. Fred and George after them. Lupin and Moody will be last followed by me. Got that?"

As they nodded their heads there were several loud cracks outside of the house. Harry knew what they meant. The attack had started. He turned to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, who was startled by the noise.

"You two, go now!" He kissed Ginny on the forehead and gave her a nod. He heard them apparating as he hobbled towards the door. He stepped between Lupin and Moody and stood in front of them. "Get behind me!" he yelled. Suddenly there was a voice from outside.

"COME OUT AND PLAY WEASLEY'S!" It was Lucius Malfoy and he was very angry. Harry assumed it was due to the failure of his son. The door to the Burrow blew open and crashed against the opposite wall. Harry looked back to see Ron and Hermione still standing there, wands out.

"RON! HERMIONE! GO!" he turned back to watch the door waiting for the right moment. He heard two cracks behind him and knew that his two friends were gone. Just then he saw a shadow starting to emerge in the doorway. _Now is the time_ he told himself.

"Stupefy!" he shouted. He had timed it right and the curse hit Lucius just as he showed up in the door. He flew back and sounded like he crashed into another person. Harry looked back and shouted.

"FRED! GEORGE! GO!" He heard another two cracks. At that moment the windows of the house blew out and several hooded figures climbed through them. As more enemies came through the door Harry realized just how bad they were outnumbered. He turned to the two men behind him.

"You guys have to get out of here," he continued as Lupin opened his mouth. "No! I told you they weren't here for me. I'll hold them off, you guys go!" He turned back and saw at least ten people advancing towards them with wands raised.

_Protego!_ he shouted in his mind. An invisible wall was thrown up in front of him just in time as a curse careened off into the wall. Suddenly, his wand began to vibrate and he felt the invisible wall surround, not only him, but his friends as well. He heard the people behind him apparate, which gave him a better feeling knowing he was safe. The curses stopped and he pulled down the shield. He saw Bellatrix Lestrange limping around. Seeing that her leg still bothered her gave Harry an idea.

"Effringo!" He shouted and saw her previously healthy leg snap. She screamed as she fell to the floor. Harry smiled as he concentrated very hard on where he wanted to go. He felt the compression and knew that he had left danger behind.


	11. The Aftermath

**CHAPTER 11 – THE AFTERMATH**

Harry's leg gave out as he hit the pavement and he crumpled to the ground. He realized just how much the shield charm had taken out of him. He braced his hands on the ground and made a move to push himself up. Finding that he didn't have the strength, he gave up and laid flat on his stomach.

Two pairs of hands wrapped around him and pulled him to his feet. He tried to stand on his own legs but couldn't so he leaned heavily on the people next to him.

"Harry, are you alright?" Lupin asked him.

"Yeah, I'm just a little weak. I think that shield charm zapped all my energy."

"I'd say it did," Moody said from his other side as they started to walk towards the house. "I've never seen anything like that. Protego is supposed to throw up a shield in front of the caster and that's it. I haven't heard of anyone having that kind of control or that wide of a radius before. How did you do that?"

"I don't know," Harry said. He was listening to Moody but didn't really have the energy to absorb it all. "I just kind of did it. I didn't know what I was doing just that it needed to be done."

When they reached the door it opened and someone gasped. Harry was handed off to another couple and they walked him to the kitchen. He was sat down on a chair and given a glass of water. When he drank it seemed to refresh him slightly to where he opened his eyes and looked around. He was surrounded by the Weasley's and the four order members.

"Harry, you need to rest," Mrs. Weasley said from behind him. She was still unnerved by the experience they just had.

"I know," Harry replied, "but I'll get to that in a moment." He needed to get things sorted out before he rested. "First of all, no one but the Order members can leave this house and that includes you Mrs. Weasley." There were some definite disagreements with his decision but he silenced them with his hands before he continued. "I'm sorry. Fred and George, you'll have to have someone else run the store or close down for a time. It's too dangerous right now. Mrs. Weasley, if you need anything someone from the Order can run out and get it." Mrs. Weasley and the twins were ready to voice their own decisions but Harry interrupted them.

"Voldemort doesn't want me right now he wants you." This seemed to quiet them down a little. "He wants to attack, torture, and kill anyone I care about. He's going to target you because you are the closest thing I have to a family. Hell, you are family." Harry could see that he finally reached them. They gave nods to show their acceptance of the situation.

"Right," Harry continued, "Lupin, I need the protection that was at the Burrow moved to number four, Privet Drive." Lupin looked very confused at this.

"I thought Voldemort knew you hated them?" Ron asked. It was the first time he spoke and Harry thought it was because he still felt sick for apparation.

"He does, but he also knows that I don't want them to get hurt." Lupin nodded at him and was ready to help escort him to the bedroom but Harry kept talking.

"Did anyone notify Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes," Mrs. Weasley said. "We sent him an owl to tell him to come straight here after work."

"I imagine the Ministry would be safe enough, don't you?" He asked Moody, who gave him a shrug.

"Guess it's the safest place anywhere around here," Moody replied. "I reckon it would be alright for him to keep going to work."

"Good," Harry spoke distantly. "We'll need information he can get through his contacts." He thought for a while about everything that had happened recently. There had been so much in just a short time that he didn't know if he could digest the entire situation.

"Hermione," Harry said. He saw her bushy head snap up as she had been staring at the floor since his arrival. "I need you to use any resources here and find out as much as you can about Godric Gryffindor's life. Also, anything regarding his interaction with Salazar Slytherin." He sat for a minute thinking if there was anything else. He knew he would not have enough strength to continue for much longer.

"I think that's about it," he said turning to Lupin. "Professor, if you could help me up to the bed." He felt Lupin assist him out of the chair. He turned to Mrs. Weasley.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm sorry about your home." Tears started to form in her eyes as he continued. "I want you to have this one as long as necessary. Consider it yours, please." With that Harry and his father's oldest friend walked away from the kitchen. His body seemed to be weighed down by the amount of thoughts in his head.

"How'd I do Professor?" Harry asked as they started up the stairs.

"To be honest Harry… scary," but Lupin did not at all look concerned. "It's almost as if you were born for this. And from what you said downstairs I think you got your brain working on things other than what happened today."

"Yeah, I do," Harry said as they arrived at his bedroom. "Can you look after the Weasley's while you're here? It's going to be tough on them and I need them to stay strong."

"I can do that," Lupin replied. "Harry, how _did_ you do that back at the Burrow?"

"Like I said, I dunno. I knew what had to be done and I just did it. I have a theory but right now I need to rest." Lupin helped Harry into his bed and smiled at him.

"I'm very proud of you Harry. After today I don't know how anyone in the Order could see you as anything but an equal."

"Thank you…. for everything," Harry said. As he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep he heard a voice on the edge of his consciousness.

"No Harry, thank you."


	12. Blood In, Blood Out

**CHAPTER 12 – BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT**

Harry woke up with an odd feeling. He was, all things considered, extremely annoyed at waking up after an unknown period of time without a clue of what has been happening. He situated his glasses on his face and noticed a half drunk potion on the table beside his bed. _For regaining strength_ he thought to himself. _No wonder I feel loads better._

He got out of bed, dressed and started down the hallway towards the stairs. His godfather's house seemed empty. He felt a tug in his chest at the thought of being back in this place. It was uncomfortable but not as bad as he thought it would be.

As he reached the bottom step he was bombarded by the smells of breakfast. Mrs. Weasley had apparently settled into her new surroundings and was hard at work preparing a morning meal.

"Harry, you have almost as good of timing as Ron when it comes to food," she said as she beckoned him into the kitchen. "Come, breakfast is ready."

Harry sat down, flinching as Mrs. Weasley yelled to the rest of the tenants to come and eat. People came from all over the place to settle down at the table. Ginny nestled herself next to Harry and smiled at him while she grabbed some of the food.

"Thanks for the potion Mrs. Weasley," Harry said as he, too, piled food onto his plate.

"Thank Hermione, she's the one who made it." Harry looked over to Hermione, who was sitting as close to Ron as Ginny was to him, and she gave a modest grin.

"I found it in one of the books in the library," she said.

"Well thanks, I feel loads better."

"Are you ever going to just have a regular day?" Ron asked between bites.

"Not with you around," Harry said through a sly grin. "Hermione, did you find anything about Gryffindor?"

"Yeah, I did," Hermione said, trying to politely cover her mouth with her hand before she swallowed her food. "We can go over it after breakfast if you want."

"I think it can wait a while longer while Harry recuperates," Mrs. Weasley said in a gentle voice. Harry could tell she was still worried about him.

"I'm alright Mrs. Weasley," he replied. "Besides, all we're going to do is talk."

"Okay dear, just don't overexert yourself," she said. "You've been through quite a lot recently and I just want to make sure you heal up well."

"We still got that thing we wanted to show you," George spoke up from the end of the table.

"Yeah, plus we've been really bored sitting around this house all day," Fred put in.

"How about later this afternoon?" Harry asked.

"Sure, it's a date," George replied with a smile.

Much food was eaten by all during a relatively quiet breakfast. Afterwards Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny retired to the living room where they talked about current events. Harry and Ginny shared a couch, with his arm around her, and Ron took a seat in the chair next to them. Hermione chose to remain standing between them and the fireplace.

"So what have you found Hermione?" Harry asked her.

"Well," Hermione started, "his life is normal of any hero. Godric Gryffindor was the greatest crusader for good in his time. Although he did many great deeds, none of them really stood out when it pertains to us and what we're doing."

"I didn't really expect anything like that," Harry said.

"Me neither," Hermione replied. "It's all pretty much predictable until around the time Hogwart's was formed." As everyone had heard the story of the formation of Hogwart's, Hermione skipped the common knowledge. "Here's the part where Salazar Slytherin comes in."

Everybody in the room sat up a little straighter waiting to hear what Hermione was going to say next. Harry pulled his arm away from Ginny as they both leaned forward eager for Hermione to continue.

"Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were mortal enemies. Gryffindor actually fought as hard as he could to not let Slytherin be part of the founders. It seems he was the only one who could see through the mask of charm and lies that everyone else fell for. They actually went as far as to declare a blood feud against each other. When Slytherin left the school he began to test the boundaries of magic, much like Voldemort did." Ron did not whimper or jump at the name this time, but did shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"He was actually the one who invented or discovered or developed…" Hermione struggled to decide which word was correct but decided to give up. "Anyway, he's the first known person to create a horcrux."

This was the first time Harry had heard this but he was somehow not surprised. Ron gave out a low whistle and there were several moments of silence before Hermione spoke again.

"When Gryffindor found out about all of it he immediately set off to confront Slytherin. They met in the Forbidden Forest where a great battle took place. Nobody knows what exactly happened but there were flashes of lights and explosions for three days. The animals stampeded away from their homes and life in that area seemed to stand still. When it was over both of them walked out of the forest and returned to their homes; Slytherin to his mansion and Gryffindor to Hogwart's. They never spoke of what happened and to this day it remains a mystery."

No one spoke as they all tried to digest the story. Somehow their teachers had failed to explain all of this.

"Harry, there's more," Hermione said apprehensively. "With Sirius's parents being pure-blood-proud or whatever, there are things in their library that focus on pure blood families. The last Gryffindor was killed over a hundred years ago. But two generations before him there was a wedding. The only daughter in the family, Petroshus Gryffindor, married the son of a pure blood family. She became Petroshus Potter."

Hermione bit her lower lip waiting for a reaction and Ron slowly turned his head to gaze at his best mate. Harry looked down at the ground.

"So I'm Gryffindor's heir?"

"Not really," Hermione replied, "but you have Gryffindor's blood in you. You are the last person with his blood but you're not really his heir as you are not of his line."

Harry stood up from the couch and started to pace around the room. His head was down and he was mumbling to himself. He glanced up to see Ron and Hermione glance at each with a look that only they could understand.

"Hermione," he said as his head snapped up, "what's this blood feud you said something about?"

"It's a declaration of war between two people. It basically means that the entire line of people will hate each other and fight each other until the feud is settled."

"Hmmm…" Harry said as he continued to pace around the room. It was several minutes before he noticed Hermione had sat in a chair facing Ron and they were giving each other that look again.

"What?" he asked them.

"Nothing Harry," Ron replied, "it's just that…well… you look a lot like Dumbledore when you do that. Actually, you've been acting and sounding a lot like Dumbledore recently."

"Yeah, most of the people around here have been noticing it," Ginny added.

"I'll take that as a compliment actually," Harry said with a smile. "I'm just thinking is all. There are some things that are falling into place now."

"Harry, why did you want me to look all this up?" Hermione asked. "It's like you almost knew it was going to be important."

"Well," Harry said, "when I was unconscious after my tea session with Voldemort I sort of slipped into another world." He proceeded to tell them about seeing all his deceased loved ones and what they said. His voice broke a little as he talked about leaving his parents.

"Anyway," he said when he finished the story, "my dad and even Voldemort himself had called me a Gryffindor. Then I thought about what Dumbledore had told me about the sword, "_only a true Gryffindor could have pulled the sword out of that hat_" and it sort of clicked. It seemed like they were trying to tell me something other than what house I had been sorted into. Plus, when I was telling Dumbledore about Wormtail taking my blood to give to Voldemort, I thought I saw Dumbledore rejoice. As if Voldemort just made a mistake he didn't know about. You see, it all fits. Everything.

"This battle – between me and Voldemort – it was set in stone long before Trelawney gave her prophecy. A hundred generations have waited for this confrontation, from the moment Gryffindor and Slytherin made that blood feud. A thousand years will culminate when I kill Voldemort."

Harry had finally retaken his seat on the couch and Ginny curled up to him as he put his arm around her. Everyone stared out into space as they grasped the whole situation. Ginny finally broke the silence.

"So the first thing we need to do is find the last horcrux right?"

"Yeah," Hermione replied, "I just don't know where it is."

"I do," Ron said, never breaking his gaze from some random spot on the wall. Quizzical looks aimed at him but he didn't notice. "Actually, Ginny gave me the idea, before we left the burrow. She said that V-V-Voldemort would think it's a great idea to have his soul right under Dumbledore's nose." He continued to stare at the wall and everyone else was on the edge of their seat.

"What is it Ronald?" Hermione snapped impatiently.

"At Hogwart's, inside the trophy room, there is a plaque that I cleaned about fifty times in our second year." As he said this Harry's face lit up and he absolutely beamed at Ron. "It says to Tom Riddle, for--"

"—Special Services to the School," He and Harry both finished. "Ron you're a genius!"

"I thought you said you touched it fifty times?" Hermione said in a disbelieving tone. "Wouldn't you have been hurt or something if it was a horcrux?"

"No," Ron said. "When I was cleaning it Filch told me about this girl about twenty years ago who threw a tantrum during her detention. She started breaking all the trophy cases until she got cursed or something. She flew across the room and spent two weeks in the hospital wing."

"Of course," Harry said, his facing lighting up. "It would be perfect. I bet he put a charm on it so that it only protected itself when someone wanted to damaged it. That way it could remain dormant for years or until someone came to destroy it."

"It would be something he would do," Hermione said, sounding like she was slowly being convinced. "It's right in front of everyone, including Dumbledore, and no one would really look twice at one trophy in a case of many."

There was an excited buzz in the room as Harry stood up and started pacing again. Ginny spoke up for the first time in a while.

"So how do we destroy this thing?"

"Well, that's a tough question," Harry said. "I dunno. I think Regulus Black took the protection off of the locket; someone else must have done the cup; and there was no protection on the diary. It could be very dangerous. Dumbledore destroyed the ring and it burnt his hand up doing it."

Ginny gasped at this and the other two suddenly had worried faces. Harry forgot that they didn't know about Dumbledore's hand.

"We can figure something out," Harry said reassuringly. "And if not, we'll just sacrifice Ron." A big smile came across Harry's face as he said it.

"Yeah, fat chance on that," Ron said, but he was also laughing.

"Hermione," Harry said seriously, "can you look up anything on a protective charm like that. Also anything to do with mixing blood from feuding families too. If you can't find anything we may have to take time at Hogwart's to look through the library there. When I get back we can go back there and start trying to figure out how to do this."

"What do you mean, when you get back?" Ginny asked him from the couch.

"I have to go do something before we can get to this."

"What? So you're going off again on your own?"

"Well yes, but it's not what you think."

"I'm pretty sure you don't know what I think," Ginny said as she stood up to face Harry. He could tell that he needed to stop her or she'd lose her temper.

"I have to go to Privet Drive," Harry said. There was silence in the room. Ron opened his mouth to say something but then shut it. "There's something I have to do there. It should be only a day, maybe one more depending on what happens." He kissed Ginny on the forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"I know," she said, "I just don't want you to leave me anymore. Now I know what Mum feels like and why she worries all the time." She hugged Harry tightly as if she would never let go. There was a loud cough from the side of the couch as Ron looked up at the couple.

"If you're going to do that stuff go into another room," he said with a disgusted look on his face.

"If you don't like it Ronald then shut your damn eyes," Ginny snapped back. Ron had lived with Ginny his entire life and knew better than to put her in a bad mood. He gave up and sunk back into his seat.

"Well," Harry started, "I'm going to eat lunch here and then I'm going to leave. We'll have a better idea of what to do by the time I get back."

They all sat down to spend the rest of the morning enjoying each other's company. Harry was distracted slightly but still enjoyed himself. He was wondering what would await him at number four Privet Drive.


	13. Family

**CHAPTER 13 - FAMILY**

The more Harry thought about his return to Privet Drive the more anxious he became. As lunch approached he could smell the cooking taking place in the kitchen but he was too busy in his own thoughts to get hungry. He kept wanting to leave before lunch but couldn't bring himself to do it.

The food was almost ready when Harry couldn't take it anymore. He told everyone that he was going to have lunch at his Aunt and Uncle's house. Mrs. Weasley scoffed at this, "you haven't had a decent meal there in seventeen years." It took some convincing but he assured everyone that he would be fine.

In all the excitement he forgot about what he told the twins and apologized to them. "When I get back you guys are first on my list," he told them. He was sure they believed his sincerity as he stepped outside the door of number twelve Grimmwauld Place. Concentrating on his destination he felt compression and then landed at the end of a street.

The end of Privet Drive never seemed like a great place to Harry but as he stood there now he got a great sense of warmth from the place. He never noticed it before but the street was designed in a way that was almost welcoming. Letting out a sigh he walked to his destination.

He paused for a moment at the door he spent his entire life hating. He lifted his hand to knock when the door opened. His Aunt Petunia was staring back at him with an emotionless face. There was some awkward few seconds where they just stared at each other before his aunt spoke.

"Are you going to come in then?"

"um…yeah…I guess," Harry said. He didn't really know what was going on as he stepped through the threshold of the house. He followed Petunia to the kitchen where she was fixing sandwiches.

"I figured you were coming when I saw wizards walking around the neighborhood," she said as she finished preparing lunch.

"I had them come here to keep watch over the house," Harry told her. Petunia stopped for a moment, looking out of the window.

"I didn't know you had that kind of power," Petunia said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. The tension in the room thickened as she brought a platter over to the table. Harry felt his stomach turn over from nervousness. He didn't really have any expectations on this meeting but it seemed like it wasn't going to go well. Petunia finally looked at him after she sat down. "Thank you Harry, that was very kind of you," she said with what seemed like sincerity. But Harry, not having much experience with his aunt's sincere side, couldn't be sure it was true.

"I have some questions for you Aunt Petunia," Harry said hesitantly. He decided to get right to the point rather than try to make small talk. "What kind of communication have you had with _our_ kind and how long has it gone on?"

"The first contact I had was when you were left on our doorstep 16 years ago," Petunia said. She offered Harry a sandwich while she took one for herself. Harry's hand was shaking as he grabbed one, realizing that this is probably the best fed he'd been in this house. "That is when I made the pact with Dumbledore. After that there was nothing until later."

"Until four years ago," Harry said. Petunia looked surprised as she nodded her head.

"How did you know?"

"It was the dementors," Harry replied. "You said that you heard my father telling my mum about it but you answered so quickly. No one hears something like that and then automatically recites it after years. I figured someone had written you about the dementors at school."

"Yes," replied Petunia as she found her voice. "Dumbledore wrote me describing the situation. He also told me that I should not reveal it to you. I don't know why, he always seemed a little weird about what you should know."

"Dumbledore was like that. He had his reasons and I've grown accustomed to not questioning them. He was the most intelligent man I ever knew, and his decisions were usually the correct ones."

"_Was_?" Petunia asked. "So that's why the letters stopped."

"Dumbledore was killed last year," Harry felt his voice starting to give out before he stopped. He took a couple of seconds to compose himself. "What do you mean letters? Had he been writing to you?"

"He had," Petunia said curtly. "Since four years ago he's been writing me about two letters a year explaining what you've been through. I guess he felt that having at least one person here know what's been going on was for the best.

"We carried on the same way we always had. I felt a lot of anger towards my sister but I never hated her, Harry. When you told me this Voldemort had returned it broke me up inside. I feared for my family. I'm jumping at every little noise." Her words started to come quickly and Harry had felt something he never felt for his aunt before; compassion.

"Aunt Petunia, we're doing everything we can to get rid of him. There's extra protection here. There's not much I can say but you're better protected here than most other places."

"Thank you Harry, that makes me feel a little better." There were moments of silence before Harry spoke again.

"Where's Dudley at?" He noticed his cousin had not been around. He knew that he was at school but he thought he came home at nights. Harry realized that he knew nothing of his cousin's school.

"He stays at the school," Petunia replied. "And Vernon will be at work until later this afternoon. When Dumbledore stopped writing me I had assumed something had happened. Dudley has been so out of control lately and I didn't know what to do. I told him everything about you Harry and he was pretty shaken up about it."

Harry was shocked. He didn't think that Dudley cared whether he was alive or not. Why would Dudley care what had happened to him?

"He was so absorbed in his own world that I needed him to see what else was out there. He'll never tell you but I think he's a little sorry for how he treated you."

Harry couldn't believe what his aunt was telling him. He looked back at how much he had changed recently and guessed that Dudley must be maturing, although he didn't know how.

"Harry, I have some things for you," Petunia said as she stood up and walked to a cabinet in the corner of the dining room. "I was going to give them to you before you left this last time but you didn't give me a chance." She grabbed a dusty box out of the cabinet, shut the door, and returned to her seat.

"First off is this," she said as she laid a leather bound, thick book in front of him. "I'm not sure how it got with this other stuff but I kept it all the same." Harry picked up the book and looked at the spine. Written in gold lettering was the title: _A Study of Blood and its Properties_. Harry gaped at it realizing just how important it could be.

"I guess you know what it's for then," Petunia said as she looked at her nephew. "Right, well this has apparently been in your family for years and it was given to me as your father's possession." She pulled out what appeared to be an armored wristband.

Harry sat the book aside as he took it from his aunt. It was about seven inches long and, from what Harry guessed, was goblin made. He turned it over and noticed a design split in half by where it clasped around the wearer. A pushed the gap together and saw an engraved lion, which would be whole once the wristband was fastened. _This must have been Godric Gryffindor's_ Harry thought.

"This last one has been dear to me and I want you to have it," Petunia said after several seconds. She pulled out an old photograph and handed it to Harry. He looked at it in amazement. There were his parents, Petunia, a grumpy Vernon, and two older people waving back at him.

"Those are your grandparents Harry," Petunia said. "This was taken the Christmas before you were born. Lily hadn't started to show yet, nor had I." Harry could see a tear fall down her face as he knew his eyes were starting to water as well. "He passed about a year after Lily and her not much longer after that."

Harry continued to stare at the photograph. In all his years he never really wondered too much about his grandparents. He had missed so much of his life that other kids enjoyed.

"Harry, I know what's out there. I read about the murders in the paper and I hear about the disappearances on the news. I remember from last time though I know more now than I did then. This has to end." Her voice was starting to break and she dropped her head to stare into her lap.

"It will Aunt Petunia. It will," Harry told her. He slipped the photograph in his shirt pocket. The silence hung in the air as neither of them knew quite what to say. Petunia spoke first.

"If it's going to happen, I guess you had better get started then." She stood up from the table and Harry followed her. She opened the front door for him.

"Good luck Harry. If you ever need someplace to stay, you can come back here."

"Thank you Aunt Petunia. Thanks for everything." He stuck his new possessions under his arm and walked out of the house. As the door shut he stood on the porch, his mind lost in thoughts.

He knew that, even though he and his aunt would never love each other, they didn't want the other to be hurt. It was a strange feeling to view a family he hated differently. He was so absorbed in his own mind that he didn't hear the clunk of a walking stick approach him, although he did feel the strong hand that gripped his shoulder.

"You alright sonny?" Mad-Eye Moody was looking down at him. Moody had never liked the Dursley's so he was probably concerned.

"Yeah," Harry said, finding his voice. "Thank you for watching over them."

"Nobody wants to see the innocent die."

They walked to the end of Privet Drive in silence and when they got there Moody gave Harry an awkward nod to say goodbye. Harry nodded back and concentrated on his destination. He felt the compression and left his old home. A home he could say that his blood relatives lived. A past home that he was now grateful for.


	14. Coming to the Surface

**CHAPTER 14 – COMING TO THE SURFACE**

By the time Harry had returned to Grimmwauld Place he had thoroughly gone over the encounter with his aunt in his mind. Uncle Vernon would always be horrible in his opinion but the family had risked a lot to take him in, even though his aunt was probably the only one who knew how much. Harry suddenly found himself smiling as he stepped into the house. He was greeted by the twins who were sitting in the kitchen, seemingly awaiting his return.

"Have a good visit then?" Fred asked, noticing the grin on Harry's face.

"What'd you do? Did you have to curse Dudders, cause I would have paid to see that," George added.

"No," Harry replied, unsure of how to describe his visit. "It was just…nice. I guess."

"You alright mate?" asked George.

"Yeah, never seen you happy to see your relatives." Fred said.

"It was different this time," Harry told them. He was really didn't think this conversation needed to be dragged out any further so he changed the subject. "What was it you wanted to show me?" The twins smiled and exchanged a look with each other.

"Getting right down to business eh?" Fred said.

"Never one to fart around, that one," George said.

"Follow us," they both told Harry as they turned to head towards the library.

When they entered the library Harry saw a decent sized tent had been erected in the middle of the room. He wondered how large it was inside. As a normal person he would have guessed that it would fit two uncomfortably but as a wizard he knew that it could probably fit a large number of people with plenty of room to spare.

"This-"

"is a present-"

"that we thought you could use" The twins were speaking rather excitedly, finishing each others thoughts. Harry knew that this had to be one of their newest inventions and wondered to himself what would happen to someone who stepped into it.

"On your travels," they both finished.

Harry stepped up cautiously to the entrance flap and peered back at the twins, who were beaming with pride. He didn't know if he trusted them completely to wander head first into one of their pranks. "What's it going to do to me?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing," Fred said.

"This is from our serious line of products," George added, "seriously."

Harry turned back to the tent and pulled the flap open to reveal quite a large inside. He could see two bedrooms and the other rooms of an adequate house such as the kitchen, living room, dining room, and even a small library with bookcases (which were, of course, empty considering this was Fred and George's).

"This is amazing," Harry said as he backed his head out of the tent.

"That's not the best part," George said.

"Yeah, we borrowed a page out of your dad's book for this one." Fred was pulling out his wand as he said this. He pointed it at the tent and said, "Secrets in the dark."

The tent vanished. Harry, who was standing right next to the tent, let out a grunt of surprise and jumped back a foot or so. The twins were smiling largely at their invention but Harry didn't quite know what to make of it. He walked slowly up to where the tent had been and reached out his hand. He grasped a hold of something and pulled on it. It was the flap of the tent and when he pulled on it he got the full view of the house he just peered in before.

"Completely invisible to anyone," George said.

"Yet still completely the same," Fred said.

"We took the idea from your cloak, and applied it to a tent like we had at the World Cup," George said.

"That's brilliant!" exclaimed Harry. Some of his sleep troubles when he was on his own occurred because he was afraid someone would stumble upon him. This certainly settled that. "But what if I forget where it is?"

"Ah, that's the key though innit," Fred said through a smile. George pulled out his wand this time and, pointing up in the air, said, "Show me yours and I'll show you mine." The tent reappeared right next to Harry, who again took a startled step backwards.

"The activation/deactivation phrases we took from the Marauder's Map," Fred explained.

"The normal revealing charms won't work on it," George continued.

"But the incantation will work for anyone so be careful," Fred finished.

"This is great," Harry said. "How much do I owe you for this?"

"Nothing," George replied.

"This is yours," Fred added.

"It cost us a lot of money to develop," George said.

"But we'd hope that it would repay the debt we owe you," Fred said. "We don't fancy being in debt to anyone."

"And it would make us feel a lot better if you accepted," George finished.

"Of course the debt is paid," Harry said looking at the twins. "And then some. But can you do me one favor?" The twins nodded. "Can you not sell any of these until we're… finished with whatever? I think it would be better if random people weren't aware of the incantation."

"Of course Harry," the twins said. They spent several minutes discussing the tent and the different anti-detection and concealment charms that were on it. All of a sudden they heard a scream from the kitchen followed by Harry's name. They stood dumbfounded until they heard rather quick footsteps approach the door, which was swung open with such force that it hit a bookshelf behind it, knocking a row of books onto the floor. Hermione came running into the library completely unaware of a large tent and dashed straight to Harry.

"Where did you get this?" She asked in a hurried voice which was also rather loud.

"Oi, Hermione!" Fred exclaimed poking a finger in his ear.

"Quit shouting before you give Sirius' mum a heart attack," George said.

Hermione ignored the two and shoved something into Harry's chest. After rubbing his chest he looked down. It took him a couple of seconds to recognize the book that he had just received.

"I got it from my Aunt," he told her. By this time Ron, Ginny and even Mrs. Weasley had shown up in the room to find out the source of the commotion.

"Well this is exactly what can help us. I never even knew a book like this existed. Oh I should've known. I'm going to--" She stopped talking as quickly as she had started and stared up at Harry.

"What?" he asked, slightly alarmed at her expression.

"Harry," Ron said from the doorway, "did you say you got that from your aunt?"

"Yeah, she gave me this book and this picture." He fished the picture out of his shirt pocket and everyone crowded around to see it. Ginny was by his side and let out an "ohh" as she realized what the picture was. She seemed to be very drawn to it, almost as if she missed these people. Harry, whose eyes moistened every time he saw it had trouble to find his voice.

"That's my grandparents, my mum's parents. This was taken at Christmas. My mum's two months pregnant here." He heard Mrs. Weasley give a sniff and Ginny wrapped her arm around Harry's back. "I never really heard too much about my grandparents. Sirius said he lived for a while with my dad's parents and that they were very kind to him." He was beginning to get that feeling in his stomach and knew that if he kept talking he would start crying. And that was something he never wanted to do again.

"Your dad's parents were kind to everyone," Mrs. Weasley spoke up. She was staring distantly at the picture.

"You knew my grandparents?" Harry asked her.

"Yes," she replied. "The Ministry runs a day care for single parents and such. Before the twins I used to help out there for a little extra money. It helped pay the bills and I could look after Bill and Charlie at the same time.

"Anyway, your grandmother used to run that day care. Your grandfather was the Head of Family Services at the time and used to come down a lot. They were wonderful with the kids. Your grandfather used to sneak them candy behind your grandmother's back, although I think she knew. He would tell them wild stories and make up games for them to play. She would read them books and get them started on reading. I never met two nicer people than them. They truly enjoyed working with kids. Sometimes when the kids were napping they would just sit and stare at them. Smiles as big as could be."

Tears had started falling down her face and Harry could feel the first one running down his cheek. He had never heard anything about his grandparents but as he looked back at his family he never felt prouder to be a Potter. Mrs. Weasley continued.

"Both of them did as much as they could to help out any family who needed it. In fact, your grandfather pushed through a lot of Ministry regulations that allowed them to take in kids even if their families couldn't afford it. They were truly two of a kind."

Harry felt so many emotions at the same time; pride, sadness, longing, happiness, and anger. He was angry at Voldemort. His grandparents dedicated their lives to keep families together and all he did was break them apart. His muscles started to tense and all he wanted to do was end it.

As if she knew exactly what he was thinking Ginny wrapped her arm around Harry's. She stroked his forearm with her other hand and rested her head on his shoulder.

"We'll get him," she said in a quiet voice. "Don't worry. It'll end."

"I know," Harry said. "I want to make sure that he never does this to anyone ever again."

They all stood in silence for a long time. Harry was pretty sure that the Weasley's were realizing how lucky they were but he was not jealous of them. He was happy for them that they had such a great family. And that they considered him a part of it.

"_Love will always conquer evil Harry…it is something that you possess… it was your heart that saved you."_


	15. The Night Before

**CHAPTER 15 – THE NIGHT BEFORE**

After dinner that night, Lupin arrived to spend some time with Harry before he left. They sat and talked about the day's events in the library. Soon after Lupin brought up a subject that Harry knew would arise.

"You said that you had a theory about what happened at the Burrow," Lupin said. "What is that theory Harry?" Harry hadn't really thought about it too much but he had thought about it.

"Well," he started, "they tell us that our magic comes from inside but they don't really explain how. A wand is supposed to harness the power that we have so that we can use it. I've seen Dumbledore and Voldemort use magic without a wand and obviously speaking the words doesn't hold too much weight because you can use spells nonverbally. So I was wondering, what are the limitations of magic? How does one know what is impossible or not?"

"The wand is supposed to be used as a sort of guide," Lupin said. He seemed to be thinking as he was talking. "It's a tool to help use your magic. As far as limitations, I guess no one really knows. I mean, the magical world thought a lot of things were impossible and then powerful wizards, like Dumbledore and Voldemort, did things that no one had seen before."

"Exactly," Harry said. "I was thinking, what if the limitation is not in the magic, but in the mind." Lupin seemed to be confused by what Harry was getting at.

"What do you mean 'in the mind'?"

"What about the children who do surprisingly strong magic without knowing it? What if it's just that no one has told them it was impossible? As the saying goes, 'you can do anything you set your mind to'. I mean, if we think something is impossible then we won't have the power to do it."

Lupin understood what Harry was trying to say but he shook his head. "Harry, what you did at the Burrow _was_ impossible. You took a spell and changed it against its nature. Wizards aren't supposed to be able to do that."

"But that's my point entirely. I never thought _if_ I could do it. I just did it. I knew we were outnumbered and there was no way we could block everything so I just extended the shield." Harry had gotten excited without realizing it. He was sitting at the edge of his chair and he was tapping his foot rapidly on the carpeted floor.

"I don't know Harry," Lupin said looking unconvinced. "The theory is nice but how can you apply it to your magic. How do you open your mind to things that you thought were impossible your entire life?"

Harry shook his head. He didn't know the answer. He didn't even know if his theory was anywhere near true, but he did know _something_ happened when he altered the Protego spell.

Not knowing what else could be said they quickly change the subject back to less intellectually taxing topics. They spoke about everything from Fred and George's tent to the current situation of Harry and Ginny's relationship. Here was where Harry really needed help. He had never had a girlfriend before and didn't really know what to make of the situation. Lupin laughed about it all and told Harry his father was the same way with his mother. He told Harry to just follow his heart, "it will know better than you."

The rest of the night was spent in different ways. Hermione was locked in her room reading through every page of Harry's book. Fred and George were in their room presumably working on new products for their joke shop, when it reopened. Harry and Ron spent a while playing wizard's chess. Ginny sat next to Harry and helped him out.

Harry's head was filled with so many thoughts from recent events that he couldn't concentrate fully on the game. After a while, Ginny ended up pushing him out of the way and playing heads up with Ron. Harry was glad because he could mull over the situation in his head under the pretense that he was watching the game.

Hermione had come downstairs just as night had fallen outside. She seemed exhausted, complaining that she had only got through half the book and, although interesting, hadn't found anything useful. Harry knew that now was the time to tell them what he felt in his heart was true.

"Tonight's the last night I'm going to spend here," he told them. "If you really want to come with me I suggest spending time with your families and then packing up." They looked at each other knowing that all four were going on this trip, yet there was a somber mood in the room. "Tomorrow we start the journey to rid the world of Voldemort and his followers. Tonight may be a good time to say your goodbyes. We are going on the offensive and attacking the most powerful dark wizard of our time and, although I wish with every fiber in my body that it doesn't happen, we might not all walk away from this." He stood up and looked at each of them in the eyes before turning and heading for the kitchen. He stopped at the door. "We leave at daybreak," he said over his shoulder and then walked out of the library.

In the kitchen Lupin and Mrs. Weasley were having a very normal conversation over evening tea. Harry felt guilty as he approached, knowing that the rest of the night would not be normal when he told them they were leaving. As he entered the room they quieted and looked at him. He felt that getting straight to the point would benefit everyone but somehow lost the nerve to tell Mrs. Weasley that he was leading her children to death. As he opened his mouth to speak no words came out. He tried twice more but to no avail. Lupin seemed to get the point and spoke the words for him.

"You're leaving tomorrow," he said. It was not a question but Harry nodded to confirm. He felt that now that the news was out he could find his voice.

"Mrs. Weasley," he started, "I think now would be a good time to spend with your children." He expected a lot more words to be shared but was shocked when she simply nodded and walked off to be with her family. Harry sat down at the table across from Lupin and gave a big sigh.

"It'll be okay Harry," Lupin told him. But even Harry could tell that he didn't have a lot of confidence in what he was saying.

"I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing," Harry said. "Do you think I should have let them come?"

"Yes," Lupin said. "You gave them a choice and you know your friends. They want to fight, Harry. They want to be by your side no matter what. And they know the danger. Besides, if you tried to force your will upon them you would be just like Voldemort."

"I know, that's what Sirius told me," Harry said absentmindedly.

"When did Sirius tell you that?" Lupin looked at him quizzically.

Harry told Lupin about the meeting he had, which almost brought Lupin to tears. "I don't even know if it was real or not," he said as he finished the story.

"I don't either but it would be wise to follow their advice, real or not."

"Listen," Harry said, "tomorrow after I leave I want you to go up to my room and sitting on my bed will be an envelope. Inside that envelope will be my will." Lupin's eyes went wide.

"Harry you can't even think like that!"

"I'd be a fool not to. I fully know the risk that I'm taking and that I could die in the process. Actually, I'm pretty much expecting it. Anyway, I named you as the executer of my estate and I need you to do whatever needs to be done to make it binding."

Lupin was at a loss of words but nodded anyway, grudgingly accepting the task Harry had set for him. They sat for a few moments in silence realizing that it could be the last time they spend time in each other's company. After a while they decided that they could intrude on the Weasley's time. This war had brought all these people together and they would spend their last night the same way: together. Many laughs were had and tears shed as they reminisced through out the night.

The next morning they assembled in the kitchen before dawn for breakfast. The mood at the table was as dark as it was outside. Not a lot of words were shared but there were more signs of affection than normal, and no one seemed to care.

As the time for departure arrived, the four adventurers stood at the door with their bags packed. Mrs. Weasley had tears streaming down her face as she hugged her two children, giving them words of wisdom. Harry purposely stood behind to let them have their time. He shook Fred and George's hand and thanked them for the tent. He pulled Lupin aside so the others wouldn't hear.

"Remember what I said," he told Lupin, who nodded an affirmative. "I don't know if you need it but Ron signed as a witness to me writing it."

"Harry, be careful," Lupin said, trying to get in some quick advice. "If you feel like you're not ready then try to escape rather than fight. Trust in yourself. You have great abilities and we all have faith in you."

"Thanks," Harry said. He didn't want to leave but he had to.

"When you get back," Lupin said with a stern voice, "I'm going to hand you that unopened envelope and we're going to burn it together okay?"

Harry nodded and shook his hand. Lupin clapped him hard on the back seeming to not want to let go. He looked down at Harry and whispered a good luck.

Harry walked to Mrs. Weasley who was completely heart broken. She could just barely control her emotions enough to speak.

"You be careful Harry," she said with a sniff.

"I will," Harry said. "I promise you Mrs. Weasley, that I will do the best I can to protect your children."

"I know," she said. She gathered him into a motherly hug and, as she watched the four of them leave the house, she lost control, sobbing horribly into Lupin's shoulder.

Harry watched Number 12 Grimmwauld Place get swallowed up by the protection charm before he turned and walked down the street. He looked at Ron, Hermione and, last, Ginny. Seeing the same feeling in them as the one in his stomach he gave them a slight nod as they continued to walk. The sun finally broke through behind them as they watched their shadows grow.

"_what is right… and what is easy"_


	16. The Informant

**CHAPTER 16 – THE INFORMANT**

Harry led his three friends through London most of the morning before they bothered to ask where they were going. He knew how they were feeling. They had just left their families to embark on a journey that, for all they knew, would be one that saw the death of all four.

"We're going to the Leaky Cauldron," Harry told them. He knew they were confused.

"But Harry," Hermione asked, "I thought we were trying to keep a low profile. How are we going to do that?"

"Yeah," Ron said, "no offense mate but five minutes after we leave there everyone will know that Harry Potter was in the Leaky Cauldron." Harry flashed a smile back at them before he spoke.

"Don't worry, just trust me." Obviously they did because no one said anything else.

About an hour before lunch they arrived at their destination standing on the street beside the Leaky Cauldron. Harry saw his friends looking at him waiting to find out what was going on. Harry, on the other hand, was waiting for someone. Someone he knew had been following them since they left Grimmwauld Place. He smiled as she approached.

"Hedwig," he whispered into the air. This got more confused looks thrown his way before his snowy owl swooped down, landing on his outstretched arm. He stroked a finger down her beak before letting her fly off. She landed on a perch outside of a window not more than ten feet away from them.

"Harry what are we doing?" Ron asked impatiently. "Are we supposed to just sit and have a staring contest with your ruddy bird?" Hermione gave him a small elbow in his side as Harry smiled. He was actually surprised there weren't more questions.

"Just wait," he told them. They did. They waited for five minutes before the corner door of the Cauldron opened. Tom came out, looked up at the sun, yawned as he stretched and then went back inside, apparently not noticing the four youths staring at him. Harry grabbed Ron's wrist to check the time and then went about leaning against the wall, watching the people buzz around the busy square like a bee hive. Ron and Hermione were standing in front of him with their backs to the street.

"Harry," Ron said as his stomach growled, "seriously, what are we doing?"

"Just wait," he told them again. Ginny, who had been leaning against the wall next to Harry, sighed loudly and grabbed his hand in hers. He hated when she did this because she knew that he would fold.

"Look," Harry said, "Hedwig told Tom that I was waiting out here. The stretch and yawn thing he did told me to wait a few more minutes before I enter. It's a system we have so that I don't draw too much attention."

"You've done this before?" Ginny asked him.

"Yeah, several times in the summer when I was on my own," Harry told them. "When we get in there don't interrupt us when we're talking, I'll let you know everything when we leave. Also, I'd advise eating something because it might be the last hot meal you get for a while."

"But Harry," Ron started, "we got the tent that has a full fledged kitchen in it."

"Oh yeah," Harry said, "I didn't have that last time." He thought quietly to himself for a moment. "I'd eat anyway. Four people in a restaurant not eating is a little suspicious. Not to mention it'll be a while before we stop again." They nodded their heads as he slipped a muggle camera over his neck and let it hang on his chest. He could tell they were confused but they didn't say anything. He grabbed Ron's wrist to check the time. "Alright, let's go in."

He led them inside to a four person table next to the bar where they sat down. Harry had to stop himself as he went to pull out Ginny's chair for her. She saw what he was about to do and smiled saying that she understood. Instead of eating with his party though, Harry sat at the bar right next to the table. When the bar tender came up to him he smiled and ordered soups for everyone.

There were only two other people in the restaurant sitting at different tables. One was drinking tea while he read the Daily Prophet while the other one, a woman, sat by the window eating her soup. She blew on a spoonful before she ate it. Something struck Harry oddly about this woman but he dismissed it as Tom took a seat next to him at the bar.

"Hello Tom," Harry said, "how're things?"

"Could be better," Tom replied. "We just got in more firewhiskey than we ordered and, well, we already don't have the business anymore to use up our regular order, let alone _more_. And people are still begging us to buy more, it's a mess. But how're you doing today sir?"

"Fine Tom," Harry said with a smile. "I was fancying a little watching lately (as Harry tapped the camera) and I wondered if you heard of any good spots around the country?"

"Heard of a couple," Tom said. "There were two or three flocks of ravens around Surrey. One of them was quite close to where you used to hang around. There were some bears sighted coming out of the woods just outside of town here, about five miles north."

They continued to talk about different animals and where they have been seen lately, mostly on the outskirts of London. Tom also spoke about different comings and goings around the pub. To onlookers, and indeed to Harry's friends, it was a very unimportant conversation involving things that nobody cared about. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny ate their soup quietly as they listened to the conversation. None of them had any idea why Harry was talking about animals and Cauldron business to Tom, who seemed like a man talking to an old friend.

"How is the tourism at Buckingham?" Harry asked.

"They had a big tour a couple weeks back, some celebrities or another walked through. But since then just a handful of minor tours. Nothing too bad but enough to keep them in business." Harry saw that his friends had finished eating so he clapped Tom on the shoulder.

"Thanks Tom, I think me and my friends will take up one of those tours." As he stood up he dropped some coins in Tom's hand.

"Hope you have fun, not a lot to see though," Tom said as he pocketed the coins.

Harry grabbed his bag off of the empty chair at the table and walked out of the restaurant, followed closely by the other three. As he passed the front window he caught another look at the lady inside and his stomach twisted ever so slightly. _Why was I getting a feeling from this random person?_ Harry thought.

They rounded the corner and stood in an alley behind the Leaky Cauldron. Harry set his bag on the ground and searched frantically through it. He pulled out a map of the local region and began marking areas with a red marker.

"Harry," Ron said, "what the hell was that all about and why are you messing with that map and why are we standing in this stupid alley instead of getting on with this and why the bloody hell are you smiling at me."

"I know you're confused," Harry said, "but I was just thinking about how that conversation must've sounded to you. It was code." Hermione nodded as if she already knew and Ginny gave a little smirk in Harry's direction. Ron, on the other hand, still looked confused.

"What were you talking about?" Ron asked.

"The animals stand for different 'enemies'," Harry said as he checked to make sure no one was around. "The ravens are death eaters, the bears are dementors and so on. When he spoke of the snake… _that_ was Voldemort himself." Their eyes widened as he said this. "This is how I got a lot of my information over the summer. Everyone thinks Tom is touched in the head so they feel like they can talk around him without any danger. He picks up on what they say and lets me know."

"What was the thing about Buckingham?" Ginny asked.

"Buckingham is Hogwart's," Harry told them. "That tour he talked about with the celebrities must've meant when Hogwart's was broken into because their had to be some high profile Death Eaters in that group. It's both good and bad. The 'minor tours' mean that the Death Eaters are still coming back to look into the school. This is the bad part. The good part is that this means we must be on the right track." Harry paused as he marked another section of the map. "That's not the worst part."

"What's the worst part?" Ron asked. He had looked pale since the first mention of Death Eaters and he looked close to panic now.

"The firewhiskey part?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied surprisingly. "How did you know?"

"I've never heard Tom mention business with anyone, let alone to a boy. No offense."

"None taken," Harry said. "Yeah, the thing with the order of firewhiskey, it means that more bad people have been coming than usual. Not Death Eaters, mind you, but people known to associate with them. They seem to be trying to pump the customers for information. I imagine it started right after we escaped the Burrow."

A hoot from above them paused the conversation as Hedwig floated down with a package. Harry took it and sent her off again. "These are provisions," he told the rest of them.

"That's why you gave him so much gold," Hermione said.

"Yup, some for the food, some for the information. Okay, look at this," he said as he turned the map around to show them. "We're here and Hogwart's is here," he pointed to two different places on the map. "The things we want to avoid are marked in red so we are going to have to go up through here," he traced a line up the map, "and then go east from there," he traced another line straight to where Hogwart's was previously indicated.

"Why don't we just apparate?" asked Ron.

"You – can't – apparate – to – Hogwart's," Hermione hissed as she slapped his arm with each word. "Don't you ever listen to me?"

"Not really," Ron said with a smirk. He had to duck quickly to miss an open hand where his head would have been.

"We also want to keep a low profile so we're going to be traveling the muggle way from now on," Harry told them. He received three groans in return and attempted to quell the dissent. "Well we could always walk around doing magic whenever we wanted but we might as well just send up flares that spell out 'Here we are, come get us'."

"We could apparate to Hogsmeade couldn't we? And then walk to Hogwart's?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Ron," Harry started, "all magic, no matter how big or how small, leaves a trace behind. I don't know how but Dumbledore could sense it and I'm sure Voldemort can. No matter how careful we are someone is going to find out that we were here and I don't want to take the chance that we could be tracked. Which is why we don't do any magic from here on out unless it's necessary." Receiving three nods in agreement he continued.

"I reckon it'll take us five…" he looked at the map, "maybe six days to get there. We're going to take a bus to the edge of town and then we start walking. If anyone asks you we're going camping." Everyone seemed to soak up his words and he finally started walking to the bus stop, leading the three people behind him.

As they waited for the bus Ginny crept to the side of him and hugged him affectionately. She added a peck to his cheek and a huge smile.

"What's that for?" he asked her.

"All the time I've know you and sometimes you still amaze me," she replied.

"Yes," Hermione started, "that whole thing was rather good. I'm very impressed Harry." Harry could feel himself sticking his chest out a little more than normal.

"You know mate, sometimes you're scary," Ron told him, "brilliant… but scary."

The bus came and, after Harry paid for everyone, they took a bench in the rear. They all sat in silence, deep in thought. Harry was wondering if he was doing the right thing as questions started to form in his head. _Did I analyze the map correctly? Should we just apparate and get there quicker? Who was that woman? Was someone hiding in the pub?_ And then he remembered how people have been telling him to trust in himself. _It's so hard though_, Harry thought. He had to calm himself down if they were going to complete this mission but couldn't help dwelling on the feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling of impending danger. And it scared Harry to death.


	17. Learning

**CHAPTER 17 - LEARNING**

"FINALLY!" Ron exclaimed with a sigh of relief as he slumped down onto the large armchair in the living room of the tent. It had been two and a half days since they left the Leaky Cauldron and they all prepared to spend their third night inside their particularly luxurious tent (well, as luxurious as a tent can be). None of them besides Harry were used to this kind of travel and it had indeed taken a toll on their bodies. Ron had taken to complaining but it was used mostly as a joke and seemed to lighten everyone's mood.

Against his better judgment Harry decide that they would travel in the day and rest at night. Over the summer, _he _had chosen to do it the opposite way but it was only him then. He felt that night was more of an advantage for the Death Eaters than them and he would risk concealing themselves over being surprised in the dark. _Plus_, he thought, _no need for those who can sleep to have their schedule messed up_.

On the first night of their journey, they had come across a very interesting debate: sleeping arrangements. Harry smiled to himself as he remembered that interaction.

_"If you think that I'm going to stay here while I know that my sister is in another bed doing lord knows what," Ron had yelled._

_"Like you would notice when you and Hermione are snogging all over your own bedroom!" Ginny yelled back at him. "You do it so loud everyone can hear you anyway. I don't know whether to call it snogging or slopping. It sounds like a dog drinking from a water bowl."_

Harry also remembered his conversation with Ron in the 'Boys Bedroom' afterwards.

_"Harry," Ron had said, "sorry about earlier. It's not that I don't trust you with Ginny but sometimes I just get carried away."_

_"No worries mate," Harry told him._

Harry knew by now how protective Ron was. He didn't mind and, in fact, it was probably a better idea that they kept with the same-sex bedroom assignments as Harry was sure it would only add another distraction on their journey.

"Oi!" Ron yelled bringing Harry back to reality. "How far you reckon we got left?" Harry pulled out the map and looked at it thoughtfully. They hadn't even traveled halfway yet.

"Probably another four days," Harry replied. "We're not moving as fast as I thought we would and the weather hasn't helped."

"I can't wait for this to end," Ginny said distantly.

"I know," Hermione agreed, "my feet are rather sore."

"I meant all of it," Ginny corrected her as every head turned to look at her. "I want the war to end. I want V-Voldemort gone."

They all sat in silence for several moments thinking about what it would be like after everything was over. Everyone knew that they were thinking the same thing because they started talking about a life after and what they wanted out of it.

"We wouldn't have to worry about everyone in our family getting attacked," Ginny said.

"Or our friends," Ron added.

"Or our parents," Hermione croaked. They knew her parents were muggles and would have no chance of defending themselves.

"We could have just a regular, plain, boring ol' day," Ron said.

"I could be a healer at St. Mungo's," Ginny said.

"Or a keeper for the Chudley Cannons," Ron almost yelled.

"Or a professor at Hogwart's," Hermione seemed almost excited as Ron.

Harry sat and listened to his friends talk about their peaceful lives. He didn't say the one thing above anything else that he wanted for fear of dampening the good mood around the room. For the only thing he wanted after all this, was to be alive. Though it seemed like the more he thought about this, the less it seemed plausible.

After the dream session they shared, the group said good night to each other. Ron and Hermione snuck away for a few quiet moments in one of the bedrooms. Harry smiled to himself as he prepared the kitchen for breakfast the next morning. He was standing at the kitchen counter when he felt a pair of arms reach around his chest and a warm presence lean against his back.

"You were very quiet tonight," Ginny whispered from behind him.

"It felt really nice just to listen to all of you," Harry said. It was true. He felt at ease listening to his best friends talk about what they wanted out of life.

"What does Harry Potter want for his future?"

Harry took a few moments to answer. What was it that he truly wanted more than anything? He knew his answer would be odd at his and Ginny's point in a relationship but he wanted to be truthful to her.

"Family," he said softly. "I want to have children who know their parents. Who spend holidays with each other. I want my children to have someone who tucks them in at night and makes them feel safe. Who sends them off on their first day of school. Helps them with their homework and maybe even helps them get into trouble."

As he spoke, his voice was filled, not with sorrow as he had expected, but with hope. Filled with the determination to give his family everything that was taken from him. He turned around, pulling Ginny into a hug as he did so, and felt her lean her head against his chest.

"You're going to be a great father Harry," she said quietly.

They stood there for several moments, not speaking, just breathing in each other's presence and basking in the moment with each other.

_Hem Hem_ Ron gave a polite noise from the doorway. Harry and Ginny broke apart. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, said goodnight and retreated to bed. As Harry walked to his bedroom Ron put an arm around him.

"She's right you know," he whispered to Harry. "You're going to make a great father. You never know, maybe our kids'll all go to Hogwart's together."

"Let's hope they don't get into as much trouble as we did," Harry said with a smile.

Harry waited patiently, lying in his bed, listening for Ron's breaths to deepen and include some slight snoring. When he finally heard it he slid out of bed, careful not to wake his friend, and walked out of the room. He poked his head in the girls' bedroom to make sure they were asleep. When he was sure they were, he crept out of the tent and found a nice clearing in the wooded area.

He had been doing this since the time they left to start their journey. He knew he wasn't going to get much sleep so he spent his time in the woods learning. Before they left, Harry gathered every book he could about fighting the dark arts and stowed them in a secret compartment the twins had shown him.

The first spell he learned was _silensarca_, which cast a silence charm around an area defined by the caster. In this area, all sound would be held in so as not to echo throughout the woods. It took half of the first night to learn it but Harry was sure that it was worth it.

The more he studied advanced techniques for fighting dark wizards the more he learned that his words from fifth year held more truth than even he thought at the time. He had said that it's not about memorizing a bunch of spells. Coupled with the books' information and his own memory of the battle between Voldemort and Dumbledore, he learned that the most advance techniques are not memorized spells, but understanding the theory of magic and how to manipulate it. In fact, he assumed that the spells the two wizards cast that night were invented as they cast them. Although his learning of magic theory was slow, it was still immensely informative. He split his time between this and learning actual spells that could help him.

Tonight was no different for Harry. He began his work with one of the books from Sirius' library. He worked so hard that night that he didn't realize how late it was before he quit. He climbed quietly back into bed to get some sleep, no matter how little it was.

He awoke the next morning before everyone else, as was usually the case, and walked out to the kitchen to start on breakfast. He was so tired that he forgot to put on a shirt, something that he made a point to do ever since his last meeting with Voldemort. He was standing at the counter when he heard her.

"Oh my god, Harry!" It was Ginny standing in the doorway to her room staring at the scars on his back. He looked down and, realizing he didn't have a shirt, turned to retrieve one from his room. As soon as he turned he heard a loud gasp from a different person.

Standing behind Ginny was Hermione. They both had their hands over their mouths staring at the scars on his chest. This was the reason he had made it a point to keep a shirt on at all times.

"What's with all the noise this early in the – BLOODY HELL!" Ron, who was now wide awake, stopped mid-yawn to stare at Harry. Nobody moved for several moments before Ginny walked, very slowly, across the room. She reached a pair of shaky hands up towards Harry and ran them over his scars. Hermione turned her head not wanting to look anymore, and Ron simply stared.

"It's nothing," Harry started to say that he was okay but was interrupted.

"It's not nothing Harry," Hermione almost shouted from her doorway.

"That's why mum didn't want us in the room when she was helping him heal," Ron said. He had regained his composure slightly and walked towards Harry to get a better look.

Harry was starting to get very irritated. He didn't want to be poked and prodded like some patient. And to make matters worse, he was down right angry that Hermione couldn't look at him.

"Hermione, look at me," he said to her. "Look at me," he used a little more force in his voice but to no avail. She shook her head quickly as she stared at the ground. He walked over to her quickly and, grabbing her head in his hands, forced her to look at his scars.

"LOOK AT IT!" he shouted. Tears started falling down Hermione's face. Although he felt horrible doing this to her, Harry knew that it was something she needed to see. Ginny grabbed his shoulder and tried to pull him away but he shrugged her off.

"Harry you're scaring us," Ginny pleaded from his side. Her voice started to break and he could tell that she was almost terrified of him. He let go of Hermione's head and turned to face everyone.

"GOOD!" he shouted. "YOU NEED TO BE SCARED! THIS IS WHAT HE DOES! HE ENJOYED THIS! EVERY MINUTE OF IT!" He held out his hands, palm up, to show the long scars down his forearms. "YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT HE'S CAPABLE OF AND THIS IS IT!"

The girls had tears staining their faces and Ron was trying to grasp the back of a chair. He failed several times before he finally found it. Harry was breathing very hard and took a minute to regain his composure.

"This is why I didn't want you to come," he told them. "He could do this to any one of you. There's not a single part of him that isn't evil." He was doing it so they would understand. He needed them to know what kind of danger they were walking into.

"He enjoys the pain and thinks that it'll break people," he said. Lowering his voice to almost a whisper he finished the conversation, "He never broke me."

He turned and walked back to his room to gather his things for the day, breakfast lying forgotten on the counter.


	18. The Dark Lord

**CHAPTER 18 – THE DARK LORD**

The journey that morning was rather quiet, which was to be expected after what had happened at breakfast. The quartet walked in silence, trudging through the forest. There were sidelong glances between them but the only time anyone spoke was to give a warning about something in their path, or for Harry to give directions.

He felt really bad about what he did to Hermione that morning, though he was sure they had finally gotten the point of what he'd been saying for months. He spent most of his thoughts on a way to apologize without detracting from that point but his mind drew a blank.

Noticing the glances among his friends he decided that lunch would be a good time to bring up the topic. He was going to stop them early for lunch since nobody ate breakfast that morning.

The day before they had run through the last of Tom's provisions and he sent Hermione and Ginny into a muggle grocery store for supplies. Harry decided that Hermione could handle all the transactions and it would be safer if they stayed in pairs. Ron wanted to go but Harry assured him that since he and Ron could eat basically anything deemed edible that the girls should be the ones to pick out the food. Ron had to concede the point and, while the girls were buying food, he wondered aloud what type of food they would bring back. Harry smiled through this enjoying the fact that, considering their mission, there were still mundane issues to deal with.

It was through this action that Ron discovered what he called the third greatest cook (behind his mother and Hogwart's house-elves) in the entire world: Chef Boyardee. The canned food seemed to satisfy everyone's taste needs and they had a great time cooking it in there tent's kitchen.

For lunch, however, they cooked it over an open fire. It saved the trouble of having to unpack the tent and the result was the same anyway. It was here that Harry decided to settle the issue that had been on his mind all morning. As the fire crackled underneath a pot filled with Ravioli with meatballs, he sat across from Hermione but addressed the whole group.

"Guys," he started, deciding that the ground was very interesting at the moment, "I'm sorry for this morning. Hermione," he brought his head up to look at her, "I would never want to hurt you and I didn't want to scare everyone but... well… I thought that _that_ would be the most blunt and direct way I could make my point."

There was a large moment of silence when even the forest animals were afraid to make noise. That was until Ron let out a rather large belch which echoed through the woods and caused the flock of birds above them to scatter out of their trees. Ron immediately covered his mouth as his faced burned bright red and his eyes looked like they were trying to jump out of his head.

Everyone turned to look at him with shock on their face. He tried to say excuse me behind his hands but it came out more like "exoothem". Harry turned to look at Hermione who must have been just as shocked as he was. He saw the corners of her mouth start to curl upwards and that was all it took. Soon, all four teenagers were howling on the ground laughing to the point where they had trouble breathing.

"Way to keep a low profile," Harry snorted in between laughs, although his breathing had come back under his control.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "I bet you'll do real well in concealment for Auror training."

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, still clutching her sides. "You haven't even eaten anything today."

After several more pokes at Ron's manners, the group settled themselves. Harry found the mood around the campfire a little less hostile and it was easier for him to reintroduce his apology.

"Seriously, I'm sorry," he said.

"Harry," Hermione started, "there's no reason to be sorry. I know you didn't want to hurt me and we all understand what you're trying to say. I thought you were angry about me not looking." Her voice trailed off and she, too, must have found something interesting on the ground at her feet.

"Yeah mate, nobody really _wants_ to see that," Ron said. "It must've hurt like hell." Which got a quiet _shhh_ from Hermione.

"Yeah, it did hurt," Harry said.

"I don't know if I would be able to take it," Ron's voice was quiet. Harry could tell that it wasn't something Ron particularly felt like sharing but, in his comfortableness, he let it slip out.

"Sure you could Ron," Harry tried to boost his confidence. "All of you could. We all got put into Gryffindor for a reason."

"We were Harry, but you're different," Ginny spoke up at his side. "I mean, you've proved over and over how you can fight through circumstances. I don't think I could do it either."

"Harry," Hermione said timidly, "I was wondering… I mean you don't have to if you don't want to… it's just… well… I thought you might be able to tell us what _he's_ like. What it's like to be with him. You know, in his _presence_ or whatever."

"You mean Voldemort," Harry replied. It wasn't a question but more of a clarification statement.

"Yes," she answered, "it's obvious that, since we're on this journey with you, that at some point we will probably be there with him. I guess I thought if you explained it we may be a little more prepared for it."

"You can't prepare for it," Harry said quickly. Hermione opened her mouth to speak but shut it quickly. Harry gazed out to the woods to find words to describe the most feared wizard ever.

"The first time you stand in front of him you can't do anything. You're body won't respond. You get this feeling like something's grabbing your heart and trying to pull it down into your stomach. Cold and dark surrounds him. I see now how the Dementors follow him so." His friends were staring at him trying to soak up every word but Harry's sight remained glued to the forest, at nothing in particular.

"When he moves, his cloak swirls around him and swishes as if its been enchanted to do so. His skin is pure white and almost reptilian. The most commanding feature is his eyes. Blood red. They're magical, his eyes. They glow and when he looks at you, it pierces anything resembling strength you have left. Don't ever look at his eyes though. They'll bring out every memory you have; every piece of information you've ever read; every thought you've ever possessed.

"As soon as you see him all you can think is that you're dead. There's no hope left. You've all met Lucius Malfoy, think about what could put fear in him.

"And then he talks. He has a high, cold voice that pricks your skin as soon as you hear it. He speaks so eloquently it forces you to listen. I can remember, pretty much word for word, everything I've ever heard him say.

"He likes to talk though. As soon as you sift through all the rubbish you realize that he doesn't ever say anything important. No for people like us, who don't buy into his crap.

"Even as a teenager, and a child before that, he found a way to gather people around him. Before he became what he is now he was handsome, charming, intelligent, driven; everything needed to fool every teacher at Hogwart's. Not Dumbledore though. Never him. He saw right through that.

"He's very deliberate in his conversation as well as his relationships. He doesn't tell anyone too much and never makes them feel that they were important. He let something slip in front of Dumbledore once, but never again.

"He's never had a friend and he doesn't want one. He'd rather lead and use people. Like his entire family tree he lies and manipulates. He's a master manipulator."

Harry paused for several seconds when he realized the forest around him was silent. The woods leaned in as if to join in for the storytelling session. Harry turned his gaze at the fire, watching it roar.

"And then he raises his wand. He casts the unforgivables like we cast _lumos_. There's no thought before or after. The only emotion is the delight from other's pain. You know it's going to happen. You'll see the green light and then blackness. You can't move. You can't breathe. You can't think. You're just dead."

There was silence. No wind blew, no animal made a sound. Even the fire was quiet. Harry never found out how long they sat like that. It must have been for minutes. Hermione was the first one to regain her voice.

"Does… what are his weaknesses?"

"He has none. He is the most knowledgeable and powerful wizard in the history of wizards. Not even Dumbledore could match his power."

"Then how do we win?" Hermione asked.

"Voldemort's problem is that he doesn't think of," Harry was trying to decide on the right word, "…_intangibles_. He despises and misunderstands love. There's determination, inner strength, courage, morality. He can't get that there's more than the physical. There's a reason he uses torture and pain as his main weapon. He hopes to weaken people by hurting them, physically and emotionally.

"That's how people like _us_, Yes us, can fight him. We don't care. When he hurts us it gives us determination. The more he hurts us, the more we want to fight. The harder we struggle. That's how we fight. That's why my parents fought. Why Sirius and Dumbledore fought. The Order; that's why they volunteered for it. As long as he knows there are people who fight him it keeps hope alive.

"I can't think the people in the Order possibly believe they can personally defeat Voldemort. But that's not the point. He tries to force his will, his way on the world. If we rise up against him, even for a second, and push back, it will show that he hasn't won. As long as we keep doing that he can't win."

Harry tore his gaze away from the woods and looked at each of their friends. After a while, they began to move. Harry stirred the food in the pot and, determining that it was ready, poured a bowl for each of the group. They ate quickly and quietly. Packing up their things, they dowsed the fire with water and returned to their journey.

"Thanks Harry," Hermione said as she walked to stand beside Harry. "It helped us out a lot." He smiled at them as they continued to walk.

"How long do you think we got left?" Ron asked.

"Three days," Harry replied. "Maybe three and a half."

It was indeed three days before they reached Hogwart's. They stalked by the village of Hogsmeade staying on the edge of town but still concealed in the forest. The final three days of the journey went by quicker than they expected. They shared laughs and spoke little of what to expect. Harry was glad that his friends had accompanied him and felt that if they didn't, he surely would have lost his mind by now.

Ginny let out a small gasp at his side and Harry, who was snapped violently out of his thoughts by the sound, whipped his wand out of his robes.

"What's wrong? What do you see?" He asked quickly.

She grabbed his arm with one hand and pointed with the other. They had broken into a clearing in front of a grassy field. There on the hill stood the castle, highlighted by the brilliant blue sky above it. A feeling of warmth rose up in Harry's chest as he looked at his castle. On the morning of their sixth day together, Harry Potter had come home.


	19. I'll Give you Special Services!

**CHAPTER 19 – I'LL GIVE YOU SPECIAL SERVICES**

Harry ran his hands along the main doors. There was a tingle in his heart as he graced the doorstep of his first true home. His three friends gave him a moment to savor the feeling. The moment was too short for Harry.

"I never thought about this before," Hermione started, "but how are we supposed to get in? I mean, there is security, wards and protection, all around the school."

Harry smiled for a minute as he looked at the doors. He had thought about this at several points throughout the journey, and came to one conclusion: Dumbledore knew what he was doing. He braced his hands on the doors and pushed with all his might. When the seal broke the doors swung under their own power, which caused Harry to stumble forward a half step. The doors snapped into place and allowed the four friends to gaze into what once was their school.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked. Harry gave her a small smile before he answered.

"Dumbledore will only truly be gone when none here are loyal to him." When they still didn't understand he explained further. "I think he knew we would come back… or at least that I would." They nodded in understanding and the quartet walked forward to gaze into the Great Hall.

The entire castle was eerie. There was no noise, no breeze, no people; just a dusty smell and a dark emptiness. Memories flooded back to the four as they looked, with sadness, into the room that always held the most life. Always were there people, joining together, to eat, laugh, celebrate, and even mourn. Never had they seen it so empty, quiet, and devoid of feeling.

Harry ushered his friends into the hallway. "Better not to dwell," he told them. They followed him to the trophy room, memories passing with each hallway. As they entered the room they immediately began searching the shelves for their target.

"I found it!" Ginny shouted after several minutes. They rushed to her and crowded to stare at the award. It was a plain plaque with no discerning features, only the name. Tom Riddle.

Harry approached the trophy case and ran his hand over the glass in front of the award. The hairs all over his body stood on end. He felt a slight tingle in his hand and it began to warm up as if he had placed it in front of a roaring fireplace.

"There's definitely some magic here," he stated, "but I don't know what."

"Are you doing what you said Dumbledore did at the cave?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "But I can feel some sort of energy coming off of the award, I just can't identify it. I feel a tingle and a warmness throughout my hand."

"Maybe it will feel different when we take the protection charm off of it," Hermione said hopefully.

"Maybe," Harry said. He lowered his voice, speaking to the air. "It was right here this whole time and no one knew." There was a moment of quiet as everyone was thinking what Harry just said. He broke the silence quickly. "Why don't you three head up to the library and start working on that protection spell."

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked him in a worried tone. Harry stared down the hall, unsure of how he felt about the approaching minutes.

"I have an office to visit… for the last time." His friends nodded glumly and turned to leave the room. "I shouldn't be too long and I'll meet you up there. And remember," he said with a mischievous smile, "there's no one here so there is no restricted section."

They returned his smile and left to go to the library. Harry took one last look at the award, sighed, and walked down the hall to his former Headmaster's office. As he approached the gargoyle, he hoped that the same magic that worked on the doors applied to this situation. He stepped in front of the statue and stared at it. After a handful of seconds it began to move aside and Harry stepped onto the stairs.

Dumbledore's office was exactly how he left it that fateful night. The silver trinkets were spread across the desks throughout. All the portraits were empty as was Fawkes' perch. Harry didn't know how to feel about it. He felt sad about his friend's death but he felt happy that the office was not decimated. He pushed his emotions aside with a deep sigh and headed towards the study.

It was bigger than Harry would have imagined. Bookshelves, filled with dusty collections, lined the walls of the circular room. In the middle of the room, bathed in sunlight from the one narrow window, was a small circular table. Harry approached the table to see his mentor's last research effort.

He stopped as he got close enough to see what was on the table. Dumbledore's pensieve lay flat on the table next to four books. One of the books was a guide on memories and how to store, see, and return them. Two of the books were advanced defensive techniques and the last was the story of the founders.

_He knew_, Harry thought. _He knew he wasn't going to come back that night_. _These books were left for me_. He sat down in the rickety chair and leafed through the books. Deciding to leave the founders book he packed the other things in his bag and walked out of the Headmaster's study.

At the exit of the office Harry turned to gaze one last time at the place where so much of his life was explained to him. He remembered the twinkle in his eyes, the gentleness in his voice, and the playfulness in his personality. He remembered the conviction to his beliefs, the protectiveness over his students, and his unwavering courage to do what was right and not what was easy. He remembered the greatest Headmaster in Hogwart's history.

A single tear tracked his way down his cheek as he turned and walked out of the office for the last time. _Thank you_. He could not let himself falter in this mission. This was for Dumbledore.

As he stepped away from the gargoyle he was standing in front of his three friends who were trying to gauge his emotions. "I'm okay," he told them. Ginny stepped forward and snaked her hand into his. "Did you guys find it already?"

"I think we got it," Hermione said confidently. "It was in the restricted section," she said with a smile.

"Alright," Harry said with a sigh. "No better time than the present." The four walked briskly back to the trophy room. As he passed the windows he noticed that it was almost dark outside. He had spent more time in the office than he thought. They stepped into the trophy room and paused, gazing at their target.

"How far back can you be and still have the spell effective?" Harry asked.

"Probably ten feet," Hermione replied after taking a moment to think about it.

"Take all ten feet," Harry told her. "I have a feeling that when it realizes what we're doing that it'll strike out. We'll be there to protect you but no matter what happens you can't stop, okay?" Hermione nodded tentatively. "We'll do it here," he pointed to a spot on the floor, "I'll flank you on one side and Ron and Ginny will flank you on the other." The two Weasley's nodded their agreement. "As soon as something happens throw up a shield around Hermione. And 'Mione," she looked up at him, "you can't stop okay? No matter what don't stop, even if someone gets hit you have to complete the spell." She nodded again as they approached the spot and took up their positions.

Harry gave Hermione a nod to indicate they were starting. She began her incantation out of the book, tracing intricate patterns in the air with her wand. This went on for about a minute with no reaction from the horcrux. Then Harry felt it.

He could feel the heat coming from the trophy case in front of him. He knew that the award was getting ready to defend itself. Suddenly there was a burst of magic that Harry felt and it was the only warning he got. He threw his wand arm in front of Hermione a second before the blast came. A red beam shot out from the trophy so quick that no one saw it.

"Declino," Harry shouted. The red beam glanced off his wand and took a gouge out of the wall to the side. Immediately Ron and Ginny stepped in front of Hermione throwing up their _Protego_ shields. Harry followed a second later. The next beam was not a blast but a constant wave of energy. The three shields reinforced each other to keep the spell away. When one shield failed, the other two would step up as the third was recast. This went on for two minutes, keeping Hermione safe to finish the spell.

As soon as the incantation was finished the red beam stopped. Out of breath and cautious, the three brought down their shields. They stood there for a moment to gather themselves. Harry stepped forward to the trophy case, extending his hand. When he touched the glass he felt the same tingle through his hand as before but there was no warmth.

"It worked," he said as he slowly slide the glass to the side. He tentatively took the award in one hand and removed it from it's place. The four stared at the plaque, thankful that the spell was a success.

"Good job Hermione," Harry told her. "And good shields you two. Nobody froze up and that's what saved us."

"Nice reactions speedy," Ginny replied. "If you hadn't caught that first blast I don't think anyone would have survived, judging by that," she nodded to the huge slash in the wall.

"Now," Hermione said, still a bit flustered, "how do we destroy it?" As she said this an odd feeling came over Harry. There was a small mental touch to his mind and his scar began to prick.

"We got bigger problems," Harry said. "He's here… Voldemort."


	20. The Trophy Room

**CHAPTER 20 – THE TROPHY ROOM**

Ron, Ginny and Hermione stared in horror at the door to the trophy room. While the fear threatened to overtake them, Harry was already thinking of a plan. Something from his magic theory book stuck in his mind and he knew what he had to do.

"Listen," he turned to his friends who snapped out of their daze, "we only have a few moments before he's here. Go stand against that wall," he pointed to the wall with the hollow slash, "and whatever happens, don't interfere." They started to voice their protests but he stopped them. "You have to promise me that you will not interfere." They nodded their heads reluctantly. "Things will happen but you have to stay there. When I give you the word you have to apparate to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade."

"You can't apparate on the grounds," Hermione said quickly. Her eyes were wide and her face was pale.

"You have to trust me," Harry replied with a slight smile. "When I tell you to, apparate to the Hog's Head. Go to the bartender and tell him 'Red and gold paint the sky'. He will ask you if 'the phoenix has risen'. You reply 'he has' and then he will pull you into the back room. Have you heard what I said?" They seemed shaken but nodded their understanding. "Good, you are to trust this man as you would trust me. You are even free to talk about anything in his presence. Do you promise to do this no matter what happens here?" They nodded and said "We promise". Ginny stepped forward and hugged Harry.

"Don't do anything stupid and heroic," she said, a tear falling down her face.

"I will," he replied as he kissed the top of her head. "Take this bag with you," he handed her his backpack. "Now go." When they got to the wall he pulled a statue from the wall and pushed it over, laying it in front of them making a small barricade. "Use this for cover. Protect yourselves but don't attack. Remember, you work well as a team." He gave them a reassuring nod before he swiveled to face the door.

"TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE!" Harry yelled. His friends recoiled from the force in his voice. A long, white hand gripped the half-opened door and pushed it open the entire way. Lord Voldemort glided into the room followed by no less than ten Death Eaters.

"Ah, Harry Potter," Voldemort said in a calm, even voice. "You still fail to acknowledge the power that I have become." He gave a smug, menacing smile.

"I'm not sorry to say that I can not acknowledge," Harry replied, his voice just as calm and steady. "Forever will I see you as the boy from the orphanage; bullying his peers and recoiling from a burning wardrobe." The smile vanished from Voldemort's face and Harry knew that he had gained some advantage in the verbal battle.

"I should have known that old fool would show you that. I believe I have toyed with you long enough. I'm afraid, Harry Potter, that today will be the day you will die. And your friends along with you." When he said this he raised his wand towards Harry as his Death Eaters raised their wands to his friends.

"I challenge you to a duel," Harry said quickly before the first spell could be cast. Stunned silence filled the room.

"You wish to do battle with me Harry Potter?" Voldemort asked as he gave a small chuckle.

"Harry, No!" Ginny yelled while standing up.

"Sit down Ginny," Harry said quickly. He realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Ah, so this is young Ginny Weasley," Voldemort said turning his attention to the outspoken red head. "We meet at last. Oh, Harry, she is quite beautiful. I think she will make a good time for me and my family." Harry winced as Ginny paled. Voldemort and his followers laughed.

"The only family you have is the one you killed years ago," Harry said, desperately trying to divert their attention. "They are not your family, they are your minions. Do you accept my challenge or not?"

"I do accept Harry," Voldemort said, sounding quite pleased. "Finally I will prove to the world that luck is not to be mistaken for skill. When I kill you I will complete my power."

"Just the two of us," Harry said. "You keep your people in control and I will do the same."

"Only fair," Voldemort replied, agreeing to the terms. "But when you die, I will not be able to hold my people back."

"Agreed," Harry said, bring a sneer to his face, "but the same goes for me."

Voldemort and his Death Eaters began to laugh. "So much confidence Harry. Where do you get it from? You have no real power, you have no true magic. You feed off me and I _will_ finish this here."

"I told you he likes to talk," Harry smirked at his friends.

"How dare you," shouted the Death Eater behind Voldemort. He raised his wand towards Ginny and cried out "Crucio". Harry reached his hand out into the air and the curse stopped, hanging in space to silence. He pushed his hand back and the curse rebounded towards the caster. Screams echoed through the room and into the hallways beyond.

"Enough!" Voldemort cried and the screams stopped.

"You have broken the agreement," Harry cried, taking an angry step forward and thrusting his finger in Voldemort's direction. "Can you not control your own people? Only the uneducated and the weak choose to disregard common law." Harry used his anger, leftover from Ginny being attacked, to bring force and conviction into his voice. Voldemort stood still for several seconds before he spoke.

"Impressive Harry. Impressive indeed," Voldemort spoke in a quiet, controlled voice. "Lucius has already paid for his crime but he will be reprimanded later. My Death Eaters know to follow my word WITHOUT QUESTION!" Everyone except for Harry flinched at the burst of anger from Voldemort. "Now, if there are no more further interruptions we shall proceed with the duel, Harry."

Harry and Voldemort took center stage in the room, standing merely ten feet apart. Memories from the graveyard surfaced in Harry's mind. Fear gripped his chest but he knew he was doing the right thing. He knew that Voldemort would play with him until he got bored which gave him a chance for his plan.

Harry stood in front of one of the trophy cases while Voldemort positioned himself in the middle of the room.

"I can see your fear Harry. Come, give me the pleasure of what you denied me before." Harry presented his wand and took a bow as Voldemort did the same.

"For Dumbledore," Harry said as he raised from his bow. Harry started to cast the disarming charm but couldn't get it out fast enough.

He dropped onto his back as the killing curse exploded the trophy case above him, raining shards of glass where Harry used to lay on the floor. He rolled out of the way to dodge another curse which also hit where Harry used to be. He used his magic to pull one of the trophy cases in between him and Voldemort. The case took the brunt of the next curse spilling shards of glass into Harry's shoulder. He willed the pain away to cast his first spell.

"_Flamma Contego_" Harry shouted. A burst of fire erupted from his wand and created a wall in front of Voldemort. When he tried to sidestep it, the wall followed him. Harry knew it would not hold and, with a flick of his wand, Voldemort banished the shield just in time to see Harry's second attack.

_Ingemino Gladius_ Harry thought in his mind, giving two quick jabs with his wand. After each jab a long broadsword exploded out of his wand. One of the blades curved around to his right, and the other to the left. Voldemort had two swords approaching from two different directions.

Harry leapt to the trophy case to his right grabbing Tom Riddle's award. This is it he thought. He turned back to see Voldemort swirl his cloak and disappear. The two swords crashed together and fell to the floor. Voldemort appeared in the corner opposite of his friends, and to Harry's right.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" could be heard echoing through the room. Harry brought the award up catching the green beam directly in the middle. He felt his hand burn and let go to watch the plaque floating in the air, glowing. As Harry backed away he could feel the magic start to overflow from the award. When it encompassed the room they stood in he turned to his friends.

"GO NOW!" he yelled. Ginny jumped up to run to Harry but Hermione grabbed her arm. There was a loud pop as they apparated out of the room. Seeing the girls leave safely Ron concentrated and soon disappeared with a pop.

Harry turned back to his enemy. He could feel the magic was approaching its limit and would soon explode. He yelled over the noise to Voldemort, who was across the room.

"I'm coming to end this soon!" He saw Voldemort, enraged, raise his wand to Harry. He never got the chance to use it. Harry disapparated out of the trophy room.

He planned on arriving in front of Hagrid's hut but realized too late that it had been burned down last year. He appeared three feet above the ground and fell onto the rubble of the ground. Something snapped and a sharp pain erupted in Harry's right ankle. _Right knee, right ankle, at least it's all on the same side_ Harry thought.

He heard a loud boom and looked up in time to watch an entire corner of the floor they were just on blast away. He saw the bodies of a couple Death Eaters fly out of the hole and could hear a primal, high-pitched cry of pain echo through the grounds.

He had done it. He destroyed the last horcrux. When the scream died he quickly gathered a piece of wood to use as a walking stick and turned towards the forest. It took him two and a half hours to hobble into Hogsmeade. It was very painful but he knew he had to stay behind to make sure that his plan had worked. As he approached the rear entrance of the Hog's Head the door opened a crack and a wand appeared point up at him.

"Red and gold paint the sky," he said quickly.

"The phoenix has risen?" a gruffy voice asked.

"He has," Harry replied. The door opened further and Harry quickly hobbled in. As soon as he walked into the room he was mobbed by something red. Ginny tackled him and they fell to the floor. He saw that she had been crying and she planted kisses all over his face. Soon she was joined by Hermione who started hugging Harry.

"Oi! Let him get up, he's hurt!" the gruffy voice said. The rather tall man parted the girls and lifted Harry onto his one good leg. He helped him to a chair while the girls fussed over every inch of him. When they finally let him breathe he turned to his friends and introduced them to the stranger.

"Ron, Hermione, Ginny, may I introduce to you Alberforth Dumbledore."


	21. The Bad Influence

**CHAPTER 21 – THE BAD INFLUENCE**

Ron and Hermione stared, open-mouthed, at the grizzly, tall man walking back and forth through the room. Alberforth was preparing things to patch Harry up and merely nodded as he continued with his task. Ginny, who had her seat next to Harry alongside his right leg, did not even notice.

"Harry James Potter! If you ever do anything like that ever again you better hope that HE gets you because I will not be as forgiving!" Her face was wrinkled up in a very Mrs. Weasley-ish expression and she kept hitting him in the arm.

"Gin, it's okay," Harry said with an amused smile. "See," he said as he grabbed her hands and put them on his chest, over his heart, "I'm right here. I'm alright."

"You won't be for long," she snapped. Harry suddenly turned to the sink where Alberforth was.

"What's wrong?" he asked him. No one else had noticed.

"You're just so much like them," Alberforth replied after a moment of silence. "Lily was like that, every time James went off and did something stupid. Sometimes I think he was more afraid of her than Voldemort."

"I know what that's like," Harry quipped and received another slap on the arm.

"Oh do you now?" Ginny said.

"H-Harry?" Ron had suddenly recovered. "Harry, you dueled with _him_. I mean, you actually dueled with him."

"Yes, I know Ron," Harry said, slightly amused. "I was there, remember?"

"Damn foolish of you too," Alberforth growled as he placed a bag of ice on Harry's newly healed ankle. "Clever trick though, I never thought you had it in you," he said as he walked back to the sink.

"How did you… ah," Harry said suddenly comprehending how the bartender discovered the events at Hogwart's.

"How is it," Alberforth started with a smirk, "that two goats…two very, very, old goats, could make it back here before a healthy seventeen year old boy?"

"Did Alberforth tell you that he was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked his friends, who shook their heads.

"We didn't really talk a lot," Ginny replied. "We were…worried."

"And crying," Harry said, running his thumb along her cheek. She gave an offended look and started to deny it but Harry stopped her. "I can tell, your cheeks get blotchy when you cry. It's cute actually." Ginny blushed, Hermione smiled and Ron began making gagging noises.

"Maybe you should take a few notes," Hermione told him quickly and slapped him in the arm. Alberforth chuckled, shaking his head at the two couples.

"Anyway, Alberforth here also helped me out a lot this summer. Seems that he gets a few… talkative customers here at night. And to answer your question, at the time those bloody goats were in much better shape than I was," Harry replied. "Speaking of shapes of things, I think when the school reopens they'll have to find a new classroom for Transfiguration."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, the explosion demolished the corner of the second floor," Harry replied.

"It's done then?" Alberforth asked.

"It is," Harry replied. "Voldemort is now 100 mortal." Alberforth returned to the table and took a seat next to Harry.

"Albus would have been proud of you Harry," he said as he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder but removed it immediately when the boy winced in pain.

"Now don't go crying on me Alberforth," Harry smirked. "You know you sound like Hagrid when you do."

"Get that shirt off and let's have a look at that shoulder," Alberforth told him. Harry removed his shirt, showing several embedded pieces of glass where blood had dried after trickling down his back. The shoulder was hidden from the girls so they couldn't see. After seeing Harry with his shirt off, and already prepared for the scars, Hermione gave Ginny a look that said "Congratulations". Alberforth noticed the look and gave a chuckle.

"Yes Miss Granger, Ginny here is very lucky to have a young man in such great shape as Harry." Ginny blushed and Harry frowned in annoyance.

"You're enjoying this," Harry said grudgingly.

"Only too much," Alberforth replied. He took a pair of tweezers and removed one of the shards of glass from Harry. Harry winced slightly.

"You're enjoying that too," he said.

"Only slightly more," Alberforth answered. There was silence in the room for several minutes while he worked on Harry. Hermione was the first to speak.

"Harry, you were amazing back there."

"No, I was lucky," Harry said. Alberforth gave a stifled laugh behind him.

"You're damn right you were lucky. Playing with fire you are boy."

"So how do we end this?" Ginny asked.

"Eager to start a quiet life young lady?" Alberforth replied. "Or are you waiting to test that Weasley fertility that is so well known?" He raised an eyebrow giving her a mischievous smile.

"ALBIE!" Harry said menacingly. He knew that Alberforth hated that nickname.

"So you can make jokes but I can't?" Alberforth asked. Harry took Ginny's hand, giving her a smile.

"I think I've earned that honor," he replied.

"Okay, I think that's about enough," Ron annoyingly stated. "Seriously though, how do we finish this?"

"We bide our time," Harry said in a mock royal voice, "until that great battle is ready to be faced."

"You're an ass," Alberforth told him.

"Me?" Harry brought his hand to his chest to feign offense. "You can't possibly be serious."

"We are," Ginny told him sternly, ending the game.

"No, seriously," Harry said, "we wait. The last thing I want to do is run off searching for him when I'm not ready yet. Speaking of ready, are you done?" He asked Alberforth. "I'm _ready_ to put my shirt back on. It's a little cold in here."

"How can you be so calm?" Ginny asked him. She took the tone of voice that Harry knew he needed to be serious. He gave a sigh before he answered.

"Because there's nothing else to be. It's over for now, we're not in danger and there's nothing we can do to change what happened. I'm happy because a horcrux was destroyed. I'm just releasing the adrenaline in a different form. I _am_ taking this seriously you know."

"I know," Ginny replied. "It's just… we could of lost you. _I_ could have lost you."

"Gin," Harry took her other hand and looked into her eyes, "you always could have lost me. I was always in danger because of who I am."

"The boy who lived," Ron said.

"No," Harry spat, "because of my personality. Dumbledore explained it to me last year. Forget you ever heard anything about a prophecy, or anything about 'the Chosen One'. What did I want to do my first five years at Hogwart's?"

"Play Quidditch," Ron answered.

"Chase girls," Alberforth said.

"Fight Voldemort," Ginny said.

"That's the one," Harry said. "That's what I wanted to do. Because he killed my parents and caused so much pain I wanted to kill him. _He_ gave me the focus. _He_ gave me the determination. In short, he gave me the tools to stand up to him. The prophecy doesn't mean anything."

"But it said you had the power to kill him," Hermione stated.

"Yes but nothing would have ever happened if Voldemort hadn't taken it seriously. If he hadn't acted that night I might feel differently. Because of the prophecy he's going to come after me to kill me. And I want to kill him because of what he did." Harry suddenly thought of something. "I wonder if Trelawney changed the prophecy."

"What do you mean?" Alberforth asked, suddenly very serious.

"What I mean is, Snape only heard the first part before you threw him out right?" Alberforth nodded. "What if when he found out it changed the original prophecy? When Snape heard the first part it changed the way things were to be done. Because of what he heard, Voldemort acted. Because Voldemort did what he did, I want to kill him."

"_Either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_." Alberforth recited. "Interesting theory but I don't know how it helps."

"It doesn't," Harry said dismissively. "It just struck me as I was explaining. The thing is, the prophecy was for Voldemort. He marked me as his equal. He made his own enemy. I could choose to not go after Voldemort but I want to kill him."

"It all goes back to that night," Hermione said.

"Yes it does," Harry said. "Many things would be different if Voldemort never showed up at Godric's Hollow sixteen years ago."

"How are you supposed to kill him?" Alberforth asked. "His power and magic is still greater than yours."

"But that's not what it's about," Harry told him. "When he 'marked me as his equal' he gave me tools. The intangibles that I talked about before. My greatest power is his greatest weakness. I don't know _exactly_ how it's supposed to work but it will."

"So what do we do now?" Ron asked.

"I'm guessing you eat," Harry said with a chuckle. "As far as a plan, I don't know. He'll be pretty pissed at what happened so I imagine he'll want to strike out at something. I trust you sent word along to prepare," he asked Alberforth.

"Yeah, and I sent your ruddy bird along too," Alberforth answered. "The damn thing wouldn't leave me alone until the goats came back. When I told her you were okay then she left."

"She's pretty protective," Harry stated. "I think we should probably stay here for a couple of days and then return to the Order. We can decide what to do then."

"I expect you want me to fix something to eat," Alberforth said, annoyed.

"I don't bloody think so," Harry replied. "If you're going to cook we might as well start gnawing on the damn table."

"I noticed," Ginny said disapprovingly, "your mouth has gotten dirtier since you arrived here."

"Maybe you should clean it out for me," Harry said seductively. Ginny blushed slightly before she hit him on the arm.

"Harry!" She said, quite surprised.

"OI!" Ron said angrily. "You better be careful Potter!" Alberforth was laughing aloud.

"Sorry," Harry said. "This place just brings out the bad in me."

Instead of cooking dinner, Alberforth decided to open a bottle of firewhiskey, in which the girls declined but the boys more than happily accepted. An hour later, all three men were laughing very loudly while the girls were getting very annoyed.

"So I said to him," Harry continued laughing, "I said, 'but I, unlike you, are a git, so get out of here." The men laughed even more, slopping their drinks on the table and clutching their sides.

"You know," Hermione whispered to Ginny, "that wasn't even that funny when it happened, let alone the horrid retelling that we just witnessed."

"Alright," Ginny said standing up, "I think I've had about enough of this foolishness. Hermione, would you like to accompany me to our room so we can get some sleep?"

"I think that would a spectacular idea," Hermione replied standing up from her seat. "Boys, try not to fall down too much on your way up the stairs. We'll see you in the morning."

"Gin," Harry said before he was interrupted.

"Don't 'Gin' me Harry Potter," she snapped. "You are acting like a fool and I don't like it very much. I think that this place is a very bad influence on you and you will deserve every ache and pain you get in the morning."

"Ronald," Hermione started, "I expected you to behave properly and be a good influence on Harry. I guess I expected too much."

The girls turned with a huff and left. Harry rose out of his chair to follow them. He stumbled to Ginny, partly because of his injury but mostly because of the firewhiskey, and grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry Gin," he said.

"You will be when you wake up tomorrow," she replied sharply. "What are you grinning at?"

"It's just," Harry paused deliberately, "you're cute when you're angry."

"That will not work on me Harry," she said, suppressing a smile. "Just so there is no misunderstanding, I am mad at you and will be tomorrow when you wake up. You would do well to remember that." Then she turned swiftly and stomped up the stairs, hiding her smile from Harry. Harry hobbled back to his chair where the other two were laughing at him.

"The Potter charm strikes again," Alberforth said between his wails of laughter.

"Shut up you two," he told them as he looked at the stairs where Ginny had just disappeared. "That girl will be the death of me."


End file.
